


Second Home - Arc One

by emmetmart



Series: The World of Second Home [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Assuming the reader has played BW/BW2 and knows the plot, Emmet is a crazy man but we still love him, Gen, I didn't realize how short the earlier chapters were oh god I'm sorry about that, Ok I'm done writing tags bye, Past Tense chapters will always have some sort of violence so discretion is advised, The Subway Masters here are a mix of pokeanimas/spemas/gamemas because I can, tags update as characters introduce
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:00:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27453118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmetmart/pseuds/emmetmart
Summary: Newbie Pokemon Trainer Summer embarks on her very first adventure in the Unova Pokemon League. With the introduction of the "Trainer Program," she is unexpectedly picked up under the wings of Subway Masters Ingo and Emmet, while earning her gym badges. Naturally curious, she'll find out a hidden truth behind the twins, but can she save them before the league and program ends for the season?As of February 2021, the Second Home series and its narratives are now rated "Explicit" in accordance with future updates. It is highly recommended the user be 18 years of age or older before reading these narratives.Second Home - Arc One explores violent and explicit themes, including: child abuse, neglect, manipulation, potentially even character deaths, and much more. Please be careful, and put your health first before reading.
Series: The World of Second Home [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032609
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue

**LOADING PROFILE...**  
**NAME:** Summer  
**AGE:** 15  
**SEX:** F  
**DOB:** September 23rd, 20XX  
**ORIGIN:** Nuvema Town, Unova  
**HEIGHT:** 5 ft. 3 in.

**LOADING NARRATIVE... COMPLETE**

“Hi! My name is Summer, and I’m 15 years old! I’m finally able to go on a journey in the Pokémon League, even though the minimum age is 14. Of course, the wait list is super long, so that’s kind of why I’m going out a bit late… to be fair, most of us are older than 14 by the time we are able to become actual Pokémon trainers, right? Right!  
So… basically… my story is that I got an exclusive chance to participate in something called a “Trainer Program!” It’s this super new and cool thing that was brought up by the director of the League where super strong Trainers like the Gym Leaders recruit newbies like me to train them and teach them skills! Obviously, when I first embarked on my journey, I had no idea what it was at the time, and I probably never would have known what it was… had I not met two very interesting people. Oh, but I won’t spoil you on that… let me tell you everything from beginning to end! So, basically…”

\---

Walking out of my house in Nuvema Town, I took in a deep breath through my nose. Nothing like the smell of country air to get me riled up… It’s finally time for me to begin my journey, I thought to myself excitedly, saying my goodbyes to Mom. One of my childhood friends gave us a gift box containing a Pokéball… inside I met my first partner, Oshawott. For a beginner Pokémon, he was very stern and serious… I could only imagine what he will evolve into later on in our journey. But for now, it was easy enough for me to carry him around in my bag, safe in the Pokéball.

The road to Striaton City was a bit far, but I made it eventually, and challenged one of the three Gym Leaders. I failed once, but triumphed the second, even with a type disadvantage! My Oshawott, who I had named Karma, and I, celebrated by dining there for a small meal, and we went on. Sooner than later, I eventually found myself carrying 3 of the 8 gym badges I needed to beat the league… 

Then there was Nimbasa City…

What can I say about Nimbasa City? Well, it’s big, it’s fancy, there are a lot of bright lights at night, and entertainment that could keep you there for days without getting bored. But I wasn’t really there for the flashy lights and… random harlequins. I was there for the gym challenge, obviously!

Problem is… the gym leader, Elesa, uses Electric types. Obviously, Oshawott wouldn’t stand a chance! That’s why I made sure to build up a good team before going there… but I had only managed to catch a Sandile. This gym was a struggle, especially, with all those gosh darn Volt Switches, but we succeeded yet again, and celebrated! Meeting the halfway mark was definitely one in my books, and I made sure to tell my mom about the occasion.  
Booting up the Xtransciever, I called her, “Mom!”  
“Hi, honey!” She flashed onto the screen with a smile, “How’s your adventure going?”  
“Oh, you won’t believe it, I’ve got my fourth gym badge!”  
“That’s great to hear! Don’t forget to take a rest now, okay?”  
“Yup, gotcha. See you!”  
As I hung up with a cheeky grin on my face, I knelt down to my team members, “Alright, let’s go back to the Pokemon Center, you two!” They cheered, as I returned them to their Pokéballs, and went to heal them up. I didn’t really do much this time, despite how challenging it was. In my best benefit, over-celebrating could lead to my demise, so I quietly made my way out of there and walked down the streets of the city.

I passed by one landmark in particular that caught my eye…

“Gear… station?”

Looking up, I saw what appeared to be a large, domed building. I could smell a faint scent of steel and the sound of engines chugging from the top of the stairs, and without thinking, I made my way down and gazed around.  
“Wow…”  
It felt like something out of a fairy tale book, watching people pass by, boarding and leaving trains, just like that metropolis of a city that Castelia is. But of course, not as crowded as Castelia, which relieved me a bit.

Such a strange place… it seemed to be home to this thing called the “Battle Subway”, too, when I asked one of the employees. They were very nice to me, all donning silvery grey uniforms and matching caps. One even offered to give me a tour, but I politely declined, saying I was busy. ‘Course I wasn’t busy… it was just a lot to take in.  
Wandering around a bit more, gazing at signs with words, newspaper clippings, I let out a sigh. I could never leave this place, even if I tried. Well… maybe I could, but…

I took a wrong step, and bumped head-first into someone taller than me,  
“Oof!” Falling down to the ground, I looked up and saw a slender, ominous figure.

“Oh!” A masculine voice called in a polite, yet stern tone, “Pardon me, are you lost?”  
“I’m fine… thank…” As I grabbed his hand, I blinked twice, trying to focus on his face, and eventually broke into cold sweat, “Wh… what in the…”


	2. Who Are You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer meets two odd fellows... just who are they?

I blinked twice once more, and scuttled back onto the floor in fear, letting out a shrill scream…  
 **“IT’S A MONSTER!”**

The man was clearly taken aback by this, and knew there was some sort of misunderstanding. He tried to reach out to me without words, but I shuffled back even further.  
“Get away from me!” I quickly got up and sprinted down the station, not thinking of the fact that Gear Station was shaped, quite literally, like a circle.  
“W-wait!” He cried, “Don’t leave, I’m not a monster!”  
“Not a…” I stopped, and turned around to see him again… 

I observed him closer. The man appeared to be wearing the same cap that the employees at the station wore, only it bore a dark, faintly bluish color, decorated with a red strap, over silvery, white hair that more prominently showed itself through long, pointed sideburns and jagged bangs that obscured one of his eyes. His jacket, or coat, was very long, and had exaggerated cuffs both around the neck and wrists… I knew the people here had weird fashion tastes, but I suppose this was relatively tame. A striped design was also noticeable on the coat, reddish-brown stripes akin to the color on the hat, paired with a large silver button on each black stripe… it made him stand out like a sore thumb.

While stoic in appearance, with light grey eyes that seemingly stared into my soul, his expression softened, “I’m sorry… I… didn’t mean to scare you.” I was too shocked to respond, and he got a bit anxious from this, and began to shuffle around a bit, “Are you by any chance challenging the Pokémon League?”  
With the mention of the league, I calmed down, “Yup. I’ve got four badges so far.”  
“Hmm, I see…” He pressed his hand up to his chin in a thinking motion, “I think… ah, nevermind me. May I ask what your name is?”  
“Summer.” I responded quietly, looking down at the floor, and eventually stared at his odd shoes. Although buckled, they seemed rather… unique, to say the least.  
“That’s a nice name. Summer…” The man smiled a bit, trying to ignore the fact that I was staring at his shoes to avoid eye contact, but failed, “Erm…”  
“Oh, s-sorry.” I mumbled nervously, “It’s just…”  
“My appearance?” He remarked, laughing a bit, “We get it a lot, don’t worry.”  
“We?” Presenting the question, he flinched; our moods swapping almost entirely. I felt a bit bad for him. The guy didn’t seem to be the best at socialization on his own… was he usually with someone? I pondered this question to myself, but perhaps I was too deep in thought, as I was quickly being dragged into a lesser hallway of the station towards a steel-cast door.

I heard the door slam, and eventually I realized I was inside some sort of personal quarters. The man in the bluish-black coat let out a sigh of relief, and looked up,  
“Emmet, I found a Trainer.” Another young individual turned around with wide eyes. He looked almost identical to the one I was just conversing with, only he wore a white coat and cap… were they twins, maybe? Who knows… I was really confused with what was going on, so I decided to keep quiet and tune into their conversation.  
“Hurray!” the one in white replied with excitement, “I thought we were going to be goners!”  
“You’re telling me…” Okay… still confused. Should I just say something? Yeah… I should.  
“Hey, um…” I tried my best to speak up, “Can anyone tell me what’s going on here?” The twins turned to look at me, then each other, and broke into a sweat in unison.  
“Oh, right.” The one that I assume was named Emmet said, and turned to his brother with a scowl, “Ingo, why didn’t you tell the kid anything?”  
“I don’t know!” Ingo cried out and huffed, “I panicked, okay?”  
“Panicked, sure…” Emmet grumbled, then turned to me, “Okay, I’ll explain it to you… what’s your name?”  
“Summer.” I recited.  
“Alright!” He nodded, as Ingo walked to his side, “If you aren’t aware. High ranking trainers like the gym leaders are enrolled in a yearly program where they have to train randomly selected Pokémon trainers in the region. Of course, we aren’t gym leaders, but we’ve been recognized for our strength!”  
“We’ve been having a lot of trouble finding a trainer the past month, and we’re supposed to have one registered by the end… which is in a few days.” Ingo frowned, “My brother and I have taken turns trying to talk to some of the kids in the league, but…”  
“We usually ended up scaring them off.”  
“...and this is the farthest we’ve gotten. Even though we don’t know you, or where you came from, please…” He continued, placing his hands in a praying formation, “Summer, could you spare us some of your time to train you while you’re challenging the league?”

Challenge the league and also be taught by professionals, huh? I thought to myself, well, it was certainly unorthodox, and I must be lucky to even be noticed by some powerful trainers, but…  
“I-I don’t know…” I mumbled nervously, “I don’t really know who you guys are…”  
“See? I told you, Ingo!” Emmet shouted with anger, attempting to hit his twin gently on the head, “You scared the kid! You think she’s even going to want to join us?”  
“I didn’t mean to…” Ingo whimpered, trying his best to push his white-clad brother away, “Summer, you don’t need to make a decision right now, I just…”

“No, no, it’s fine!” I sweat a bit… jeez, these two seem like a handful, I thought to myself, “I think that being able to learn things from professionals will give me an advantage in the league, so… if you guys need a student, then… um… I’ll do it.”  
The twins stared at me in disbelief, suddenly, and looked at eachother.  
“Did she say yes?” Emmet asked, confused.  
“I think so…” Ingo murmured, then looked at me, “Is that a ‘yes’?”

I took a deep breath, and reached my hand out, “Yup, I’ll do it.”


	3. Away From Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer learns more about the jobs and roles of the Subway Masters Ingo and Emmet, and registers for the Trainer Program.

**“Wait, seriously?”**  
Emmet stuttered, “You’re seriously going to register for us?!” He seemed in blatant shock that I said yes.  
“Uhuh.” I nodded, “Like I said, it would give me an advantage, and I guess learning from skilled trainers is nice.”  
“I wouldn’t really say we’re skilled…” Ingo whispered to his brother, who looked at him in dismay.  
“Of course we’re skilled!” The white-clad twin proclaimed, and smiled eerily, “We’re the Subway Masters, of course!” Pulling his brother in with his arm, he looked at me, “Don't listen to what my big bro says. We’re the best of our kind!”  
“Ooookay.” I averted my gaze, then re-focused, “What exactly is a ‘Subway Master’?”

That question prompted the two to look at each other before walking off to leave the room. Ingo motioned me to follow, and I did. Eventually, we were in some sort of control room.  
“Being a Subway Master is kind of like a job as both a trainer and train conductor.” He told me--his calm demeanor remains steady for the time being, “When we aren’t batting trainers in the Battle Subway, we negotiate the status of all the trains in Gear Station… as you can see…”  
Emmet tapped on some sort of fancy smart computer, and holograms showed up. It displayed a map, and he placed his hands on it, “This shows us the location of all the trains in the station. If there’s a problem with one of the trains, we’ll know where it is and go to fix it!” So, they have two jobs, huh… that seem really difficult, I thought to myself, staring at the screen.

“Hey! I almost forgot!” The conductor in white looked up from the screen and turned to me, “We did call each other by our names before. But if you need a refresher, I’m Emmet!” He looked to his brother, expecting a connector.  
“O-oh, um…” The elder twin flinched, but calmed down and bowed, “My name is Ingo. It’s nice to meet you.” I laughed a bit. They’re certainly an interesting bunch, I thought to myself, and nodded in response.  
“Okey-doke. I need to contact the league manager that we’ve found a trainer.” Emmet spoke up, and tapped on the holograms, “Our control boards also double as Xtranscievers! Watch this!” He proudly did some more tapping, and another hologram appeared.

“This is the League Office, can I help you?” A feminine voice, most likely a secretary, replied.  
“Subway Master Emmet here!” The white-clad man spoke up, “I’m here to inquire about the Trainer Program. We’ve found a trainer.”  
“Oh, wonderful!” Her voice sounded a bit nonchalant, “I’ll hook you up to the manager, just give me a moment…”

We sat still for a while. Since the programs were relatively new, loading times varied. Was the league office very far away? I asked myself this, but the answer was unclear.  
Soon enough, a rather shadowy figure appeared on the screen.  
“Who is this?” A more strong, masculine voice called out. It looked like he was leaning forward from a chair, but I couldn’t make out his face at all, “Hm, Emmet, is that you?”  
“Yes, sir!” He spoke up, proudly, “Here to update you on our Trainer Program progress!”  
“I’ve heard from the secretary. You found a trainer, finally?”  
“It took some work, but yes.” Ingo walked up to the hologram and waved quietly, “Hello.”  
“Ah, hello Ingo!” The shadowy figure’s voice mellowed out, seeming happy to see him, “It’s good to hear that you two have found a trainer. Could I get their name?”  
“Summer.” I spoke up for myself, and huddled between the twins, “Hi.”  
“Oho! So you’ve brought the trainer with you!”  
“Yes!” Emmet huffed, “The kid’s in the registration, right?”  
“The name rings a bell, let me see…” The manager opened up a separate laptop and was typing, then looked back up, “Yes, Summer is registered in the league. Alright, you lot are good to go. Have fun!”  
“We will!” The brother in white exclaimed proudly, but when I looked at him, his expression seemed pained, “Thank you, sir!”

The hologram call ended, and the twins collectively let out a sigh of relief. I looked up at them, a bit confused. I wondered why Emmet flinched a bit as he yelled, but I knew prying into an adult’s personal business wasn’t exactly the best thing to do.

“Thank gosh!” He slumped into his chair and laughed, “If we didn’t get that through in time, I don’t know what would happen!”  
“Emmet…” Ingo mumbled quietly to himself. He must have noticed the pained expression as well, but dismissed the thought and looked at me, “It’s getting quite late. Do you have anywhere to stay?”  
“Umm…” I looked down at the floor, “I don’t know… my home’s all the way back in Nuvema Town.”  
“Nuvema Town?!” Emmet jumped out of his chair, “That’s miles away! You’re telling me you don’t have a hotel room?!”  
“I’m sure the Pokémon Center has some.” His brother replied calmly, “But… err… we do have our own bedroom here in the station too, since it’s kind of our home.”  
“W-well…” I was overwhelmed yet again by their clashing personalities, and backed off a bit.  
“That’s it! You can stay at—“  
“Emmet, no.” Ingo stopped the younger twin abruptly, and sighed, “Summer, you could stay at the Pokémon Center for the night. They should have suites for trainers that are challenging the league.”

“...Okay, thank you.” I nodded, and walked towards the exit of the control room, leaving quickly. As the door closed, I heard something from beyond, but not wanting to eavesdrop, I went towards the stairs that led back out to the city.

Such an interesting pair, those two… I thought to myself. Not only were they twins, but they chose the same occupations as well. I wondered why, but I knew they may tell me in due time, especially since I’m going to be endorsed by them! It’s pretty exciting, actually, but I was too tired to call my mom that night. Checking into the Pokémon Center, I located my suite, and fell asleep in peace, blissfully unaware of the obstacles I had yet to overcome.


	4. Past Tense - Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse of the lives of the Subway Masters... before they were Subway Masters. Ingo discovers a horrifying new truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: the following chapter includes violence, child abuse. Read at your own discretion.

**“Come on, Ingo! You’re going to miss it!”**

The elder twin tried his best to catch up with his brother, but to no avail. He knew that Emmet was always the rowdier of them two, but didn’t want to disappoint him either.  
“I’m trying, I’m trying!” He huffed, adjusting his black striped t-shirt, and sat down next to his brother in front of the television.

“It’s that time you’ve been waiting for, folks!” An announcer called out on the television screen, “The semifinals of the Unova League!” Cheering resonated in the coliseum, and the twins also cheered in unison. It was two of the Elite Four members, much younger at the time, but diligent, duking it out in a classic Pokémon battle to challenge the Champion once more.  
“Heh, I bet Grimsley is gonna win this time.” Emmet snarked, and nudged the black shirt-clad twin to his side, “Whaddya think, big bro?”  
Ingo thought for a moment, and replied, “I think Shauntal has a chance.”  
“Yeah, right. I bet you didn’t check your type-matchup book this time!”

After watching the television program, the two were knocked out, sleeping on the couch. Their parents carried them back to their rooms for the night, and closed the door. Although Ingo was fast asleep, Emmet had some trouble sleeping this time around, and woke up in the middle of the night. He grumbled to himself, and hopped off the bunk bed to go to the bathroom, jumping onto the step-stool so he can look at himself in the mirror.  
“I need to change my bandage…” As he said that, he heard footsteps and flinched.  
“What are you doing, up so late like this?” His mother hissed, and closed the door to the bathroom behind her.  
“I-I…” Emmet looked down, “I couldn’t sleep.”  
“Well, maybe if you didn’t watch all those television programs, you could get some proper rest. At least your brother sleeps better than you do.”  
“I’m sorry, mom, really!” He cried out, but it was no use.  
“Shut up!” Her whisper was louder, forcing the child to silence himself, “You really are useless, Emmet.”  
“Mom!”

\---

Eventually, morning came. Ingo woke up first, and yawned. He looked around warily, and walked to the bathroom.  
“Weird… he didn’t wake up before me.” The child in black mumbled to himself, and brushed his teeth. Walking out of the bathroom after washing up, he climbed towards the top bunk using the ladder and saw his brother.  
“Emmet?” Ingo shook the younger twin by the shoulders gently, “Emmet, wake up.”  
“Ugh… five more minutes.” He curled up in his blanket and shivered, “Leave me alone.”  
It was then, the elder twin got a closer look at his brother’s face. There were more bandages, and his eye was all bruised up. Terrified, he nearly fell off the ladder, but steadily made his way onto the base of the bed.  
“No, Emmet, seriously… wake up!” Ingo huffed, “I don’t think Mom and Dad are awake… I want to ask you something.”

Soon enough, Emmet got out of bed, and the two sat on the floor in their room.  
“What did Mom do to you?!” He winced, shaking, “You’re…”  
“It’s nothing.” The twin in white mumbled to himself and looked away, “You know how they are with me. Saying I’m ‘useless’ and stuff.”  
Ingo was silent for a moment, looking away as well, but then looked back, “I don’t think you’re useless.” He brought his brother into a tight hug.  
“Tch, yeah. Of course you’d think that.” Emmet smirked, and buried his face into the twin’s shoulder, “...thanks, big bro.”

“You’re welcome, little brother.”


	5. Suited For Success

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subway Masters Ingo and Emmet prepare Summer for the Trainer Program by ordering her a uniform jacket, and Summer overhears a secret conversation...

I had to make sure to wake up bright and early for my first day of the Trainer Program. At least I thought it would be the first day, but… turns out there was a lot of preparation we had to do.

Making my way back to Gear Station, I couldn’t see Emmet or Ingo anywhere, so I wandered around aimlessly until I heard a train pull in from one of the Battle Subway tracks. They must have been on some sort of tour to Anville Town, or something, since it came in from that track.  
“Alright, alright, one at a time,” I recognized Ingo’s voice, “Thank you, everyone!”  
One by one, passengers left the train happily, others talking to each other busily. I decided to approach from the sidelines, skidding near the wall towards the railroad. He seemed to recognize me instantly, “Summer!”  
“Good morning!” I spoke up, a bit overwhelmed by all the people, but tried to ignore them, “There’s a lot of people here, huh…”  
“Yup!” Emmet walked out from the train car when there were fewer people, stretched, and let out a loud yawn, “Whose idea was it to do an early-morning tour?”  
“Certainly wasn’t mine.” The elder twin laughed, and looked at me, “We should be on break now, though. Summer, would you mind accompanying us to our quarters?” I nodded, as the two Subway Masters guided me back to their room.  
Now that I was a bit more awake, I realized it was a pretty spacious private room. The bunk beds were apparent, since they were twins, and there seemed to be a small lounge and kitchenette for them as well. I guess when your entire life is managing trains and battling other trainers, you don’t really need a lot.

“So… umm…” I spoke up nervously, “What exactly am I here for, again?”  
“Ahaha! I knew you’d ask!” The white-clad brother laughed and patted my head, “Now that registration is done, we need to get you into uniform!”  
“Uniform…?” I asked, still a bit unclear on this whole ‘trainer program’ thing. What was even more unclear was Emmet’s sporadic, energized movements between the computer and what seemed to be a closet. There were a few spare coats and other seasonal clothing that I assumed was for them… not for me, though.  
“Just let him do his thing.” Ingo sighed, and motioned me to sit down on the couch, “He’s probably going to stick his nose in your face asking for—“  
“Hey, hey!” The younger twin shouted, and ran to me, “What’s your waist measurements? Height? Weight? Bust?!”  
“U-uh!” I flinched and curled up on the couch, “Private information!”  
“Come on, come on! I need the measurements! The measurements for your unifoooormm!”

“Emmet, calm down and hand me the tape measure.” His brother put his hand out, and the white-clad twin excitedly placed it in that hand. Ingo turned to me, “No need to take anything off, Summer, just stand up.”  
“Alright…” I replied quietly, and allowed the elder twin to take some measurements.

After my measurements were taken, the twins busily worked on the computer. I wondered what exactly they were doing, but I decided not to pry. Probably some stuff I don’t even understand…   
“And there!” Emmet huffed proudly, “The uniform should arrive in a few days! Oh, I’m so excited!” He ran over to me and grabbed my hands, shaking me wildly, “Summer! Summer! You’re going to look so cool! Not drab anymore!”  
“Drab..?” I mumbled, “I don’t think I look drab…”  
“Ha! Do you hear what she’s saying? Look at what she’s wearing! It’s so basic!”  
“Emmet!” Ingo shouted, and pulled his brother over by the neck cuff, “That’s rude!” The twin in white dismissed the topic by laughing, and the elder twin muttered to himself, “Of course, you act up now of all times…”  
“I heard that! What do you mean, act up? I’m fine!” Emmet smiled, and ran off to the computer, “Okay? I’m fine!”  
“H-hey… you two…” I mumbled, “It’s getting a bit hot in here…”

The two snapped out of it, and looked at me, dazed, then at each other. Although Emmet still fashioned his trademark eerie smile, he seemed to have realized he went a bit too far this time, and calmed down.  
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what got into me.” Ingo looked away, ashamed, “I just… you needn’t worry about us.”  
“You can leave if you want.” His brother said with a grin, “We’ll be waiting for you tomorrow!”  
“Okay… see you later.” I nodded reluctantly, and left their quarters.

I remembered that I should be going to Driftveil City next, but the bridge had yet to be fixed. So, I was stuck here… great. Of course, I could check out the other attractions like the stadiums and performance venue here in Nimbasa, but… witnessing the worst of the twins’ personalities intrigued me. Although Ingo said not to worry about them, I realized something was definitely wrong. Just what is it that he’s trying to hide from me, and why is Emmet acting so odd around me specifically? Does he always act like that? Maybe the answer will be revealed to me in due time…  
Knowing I shouldn’t dwell on things too much, I decided to go to the stadium to practice some sports, then train my Pokémon. Karma had recently evolved into Dewott, which was exciting all except for the fact that he began to have mood swings. Sometimes he wouldn’t even obey my commands! On the other hand, Osiris, my Sandile tended to do his own thing. Since we aren’t close to the desert, he would often lounge on the grass or in the water. Hopefully they grow to get super strong soon… but everyone always warns trainers about how fully evolved Pokémon are super reckless and never obey their trainer. I’m a little worried for Karma, considering how he’s been acting, but perhaps it’s just a phase. Just like being a teenager, and his final evolution stage represents maturity! ...at least, that’s what I hope happens… 

When I wasn’t spending time with the Subway Masters, time seemed to go by a lot quicker. At least, that’s what I thought, considering I had to pass the time somehow… but it was weird. They didn’t call me all day since whatever happened then… I wonder… are they doing okay? Should I check in on them? So many questions I wanted to ask them, they all resurfaced when I told myself not to think about them! I should’ve known that I was always a curious kid, but I guess my curiosity got the best of me this time around, because, despite it being close to my bed-time, I wandered back off to Gear Station without a care in the world.

\---

Night hours at the train station seemed a lot quieter than it had been early that morning. Sure, there were still people boarding and getting off of the trains, but it was mostly people coming back from work. Miners and businesspeople, I assume from Driftveil or Castelia, piled out of one subway car. I watched warily, trying to find Ingo or Emmet, but to no avail. No conductor seemed to bear either white or black at that point in time, so I gave up and sat down on a bench secluded from all of the hubbub.  
However… what I didn’t know was that I sat at a bench close to the main control room, and overheard something. I recognized their voices instantly; and it seemed like they were talking to each other.

“...I’ve been telling you all day now…” Ingo spoke up angrily, “You need to control yourself! These trainers we have to recruit for the Trainer Program are not adults like we are… they are children challenging the league.”  
“I don’t care!” Emmet whined, seemingly very upset, “I want to battle them! I want to battle them now! Can’t you make them do the 20 double battles or something?!”  
“No, I won’t!” The elder twin hissed, “For god’s sakes, Emmet, you’re acting like a child!”  
This seemed to infuriate his younger brother, from the growling I heard. Alert, I sat up and placed an ear against the wall. I heard something akin to a struggle, and the sound of some heavy object falling on the floor and flinched. That’s not good… but… ugh, why am I still listening? They’re going to catch me!

Knowing this wasn’t the best time to be around at the station, I quickly ran off towards the exit, but was stopped abruptly. I felt a strong force pull against my shirt--almost choking--and the presence of someone much taller behind me.

 **“Summer… there you are!”** Emmet’s eerie voice whispered in my ear, “Where have you been? We have so many things to talk about!”


	6. Something's Not Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer gets pulled into an awkward encounter.

Within seconds, I found myself back in the private quarters of the Subway Masters. Only problem is… Ingo wasn’t there. It was just me and his younger twin brother… Emmet.

Thankfully, I wasn’t tied to anything--that would be instant red flags… but his ominous gaze pierced into my soul. His smile, while simple, extended widely, and looked like nothing but a fine red watermelon slice. Or maybe a frog’s mouth..? I couldn’t place my finger on what it really looked like, but… it was still really scary.

Finally, he spoke up, “My big brother says that I shouldn’t pester the trainers who are challenging the league. But I really want to battle them!” Emmet knelt down to eye-level with me, and grinned, “Can we have a Pokémon battle? Please? Pleaaaase?”  
“U-um…” I looked away, nervously, “I don’t know…”

His smile instantly turned to a frown, face turning red, “Ugh!” The white coat-dressed twin’s unpredictable emotions eventually became quite predictable, in my opinion, as he began to show the signs of a nervous meltdown.

“What does he think, bossing me around? We’re supposed to be equal! The same! Identical!” He didn’t face me, this time, but rather stormed off to the computer, and began to madly type something using the digital keyboard.  
I walked over hesitantly, and peered over, “Hey… what are you doing?”  
“N-nothing.” Emmet muttered as he closed a tab and turned to me, sweating.  
“You know, if there’s something wrong…” I stared at the floor, observing his shoes--of which were identical to the one his brother wore--then looked up, “...you can tell me. I won’t tell anyone. I don’t have to tell your brother, if that’s what you’re concerned about--"

**“It’s NOTHING!”** He screamed, then covered his mouth with wide eyes filled with terror, and looked away quickly. I saw tears welling up from his eyes, as he tried both looking at me, and looking away from me, and then he whispered weakly, “...please leave.”

\---

Quickly making my way out, my heart raced as I went to sit back down on the bench close to the control room, and took a deep breath. There wasn’t anything to tune in on, this time, since the only sounds I could hear were the running engines of the subway cars. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to just… take a nap… right here…

“Summer?”

I suddenly woke up to the call of my name. I looked around, confused, but it was very dark. I could barely see a thing, stray aside from some dim ceiling lights, and warily reached out.  
“Who… who’s…” I mumbled sleepily, and eventually felt the cool fabric of cotton gloves touching my hands and clasping them.  
“Summer, it’s me.” That calm, soothing voice… it must be Ingo, who brought me up from the bench, “You seemed to be sleeping well, but… shouldn’t you be at the Pokémon Center?”  
“Mmm…” I sleepily rubbed my eyes and looked up, “I dunno…” Checking my C-Gear on my wrist, it was past midnight. Past midnight… huh… I was too exhausted to even piece together a reason as to why I was here, let alone a sentence, and groggily collapsed into the Subway Master’s arms.

“O-oh!” Ingo was a bit startled by this, but knew by impulse to pick me up, “Hmm… I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have her sleep in my bunk for tonight…”

The rest, I couldn’t recall for sure what I heard, but I knew for a fact that I was sound asleep.


	7. Past Tense - Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse of the lives of the Subway Masters... before they were Subway Masters. Emmet receives a special present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: the following chapter includes violence, child abuse. Read at your own discretion.

**“Happy birthday to you!”**

The mother and father to the twins chanted with glee. They had just turned thirteen years old, and it was definitely an accomplishment. Any child would be excited to become pre-teens… but the twins weren’t too happy.

Due to being the more prestigious of the two, always studying on Pokémon and trains, Ingo had received even more textbooks and physical sources for his studies. Normally, he would be happy, but something was bothering him today. He looked over towards his brother with a worried frown and placed a hand on the younger twin’s shoulder. Emmet looked at the elder twin briefly, but no longer than a second before the two saw their mother leave the room to get something and came back with a rather bland red and white gift box.

“And for you, Emmet, we’ve gotten you a very special gift!” Their mother smiled, but both of them knew something was wrong as she didn’t even let the poor boy open his own birthday present, “It’s a special choker necklace… come on, try it on!” He would have argued in this case, but his bruised and beat up face—alongside his body—could say otherwise.  
“Mom…” he whimpered quietly, and squirmed a bit, since it was so tight, “It’s so hard to breathe…”  
“Oh, don’t worry, son.” Their dad spoke up eagerly, “You’ll feel better in just a second.”  
“Huh? Wh—”

Suddenly, a strong, electrical shock coursed through the poor child’s body. He let out a piercing cry, tugging at the choker, tears beginning to stream down his face. Ingo watched in absolute horror. What kind of birthday gift was this?! This wasn’t a present… it was just another excuse for them to hurt his brother! He had to do something!

“Mom! Dad! Stop!” The elder twin shouted with all his might, but his father pulled him back, “No!”  
He began to cry, as well. Watching his own twin brother hurting like this was painful not only for his eyes, but his heart. Yet eventually, the shock stopped, and the two exhausted twins--Ingo being exhausted from screaming and crying--were carried off to their room and tucked in bed, both in disbelief and terror of what they had experienced.

\---

After a few hours, it was past midnight. Startled, Ingo woke up in panic, looking around quickly before realizing he was in their bedroom, and knew what to do.

“Emmet…” Ingo hopped out of bed and went back up to the top bunk again, sobbing, “Emmet!” Desperately trying to wake his brother up, he shook the white-clad boy by the shoulders and even tugged by his shirt, but sadly, the younger twin was out cold. This realization made the elder twin cry harder; his tears falling down onto the other’s white t-shirt. There was no noise except for the poor boy’s crying and the gentle “plip” of each tear hitting the surface. He will never forgive what their parents did to his brother, and stayed true to this fact for years to come.

\---

Days had become weeks, and weeks became months. The school year resumed as usual, but the younger of the two twins was required to wear the choker even at school; never allowed to take it off, except for when he had to take a shower or bath, or was in contact with any body of water. However, those moments of freedom were typically short-lived, as he always had to put it back on afterwards.

The choker was a torture device. It wasn’t a normal choker, either… it was more like an energy-operated collar. Whenever Emmet misbehaved or acted “wrong” through their parent’s eyes, the collar sent a relatively strong shock wave to his body. It was barely enough to kill, but enough to send him into a coma, if they really saw it necessary. Ingo stayed close by, worried for his brother’s safety. One day, he discovered something new about the device’s capabilities.

“What do you mean, you did all your work? What is this, then?!” Their mother shouted at the younger twin, angrily, “Your grades are suffering, you were late twice, and for **WHAT?!** ”  
“It’s not my fault!” He talked back, face red with fury, “Maybe if you didn’t give me this stupid neck thingy for my birthday, I would be perfect like you say my brother is!”  
“You are not perfect!” She hissed, and reached into one of her pockets,  
“You are nothing but a worthless by-product of what could have just been our **ONLY CHILD!** ” This sent Emmet into emotional shock, and he stood back, scared.  
“Mom…” he whimpered, but it was too late, yet again.

The shock wave caused him to scream in pain, but… the weird part was that the screaming sounded like… laughing? Ingo walked back, slowly, shaking in fear from the sound of his brother laughing almost maniacally… it was scary… but he knew he couldn’t run away! He stayed hidden in the hallway; their father must’ve been working, so it was safe enough for him to just stay here until mother noticed, so he had thought to himself.

“That’s it! That’s what a perfect child is!” Their mother cheered, “Come on, smile for us!”  
“No…” Emmet refused, and another shock was sent from the collar, and he cried, “No!”  
“Smile, god damn you!” Another shock wave was sent. Eventually, the poor boy couldn’t resist anymore, his limbs flailing wildly from the electrical shock, until he dropped to the floor. Ingo gasped, but kept himself quiet, watching as his younger brother slowly regained consciousness, and stood up rather flimsily.  
His angered expression mellowed out into dullness, null and void, as his lips curved into a smile, whispering two words… 

_“Smile, everyone…”_


	8. Friends and Allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer befriends one of the Gym Leaders, and meets an unexpected ally.

I awoke the next morning in a rather firm bed. It most definitely wasn’t the one in the suite, because it felt like a rock! Eventually, I realized where I was.

It wasn’t really early morning, rather quite late. I guessed there wasn’t anything wrong with sleeping in, because no one was in the room at the time. I guess Ingo and Emmet were off doing their jobs, I thought to myself, and hopped off the bed. If they were busy… that gave me the time to go back outside and think about some things… so I quickly navigated out of Gear Station without being noticed, and went back to my suite at the Pokémon Center.

Because it would be some time until my uniform came in, and the actual training to start, I decided to write up a letter to the twins that I would be going off to earn the next two gym badges. This, of course, was a breeze. Though, perhaps dealing with flying types was a bit of a struggle, I pushed through. Six badges! I couldn’t believe I had gotten so far, so I made sure to check in with my mom real quick, and continued on my adventure.

Before I had received my hard-earned sixth gym badge, however, Skyla, the gym leader of Mistralton City had quickly brought me to the top of Celestial Tower.  
“It’s said that the sound of this bell reflects the aura of that person…” she told me with a small smile, “So, before you challenge me today at the gym, please ring this bell.”  
Hesitantly, I walked up to the massive metal structure, and pushed it with all my might. The end result was a rather gentle, clear sound.  
“I see…” Skyla looked up at the sky for a brief moment, then back at me, “Summer, you’re a very curious person, aren’t you?”  
“Haha… I get told that a lot.” I shrugged it off with a sheepish smile, but it seemed like the meaning was a bit deeper than that.  
“No, it’s not that.” She shook her head and looked into my eyes, “You're worried about someone, aren’t you?”  
I was in shock by this. How in the world did this girl know so much about my thoughts just from a bell chime? I wished I could have asked, but my mind was obscured with worry. I decided to explain my situation to her.  
“Actually… umm… I’m worried about two people.” I mumbled and looked down at the tower’s paved bricks, “I’m sure you Gym Leaders have heard about the Subway Masters, right?”

“Oh, those two!” The pink-haired girl smiled and nodded, “They’re very interesting, aren’t they? I think I’ve seen them wandering around Nimbasa a few times when they aren’t conducting the subway cars.”  
“Well, yes, but… it just seems like…” I lost my train of thought, and placed my hand on my forehead, “...darn it. I don’t know how to put it into words…”  
“No, it’s okay! You don’t need to tell me if it’s personal.” Skyla laughed a bit, and called out one of her flying type Pokémon, Swanna, “I’m going to go back to the Mistralton Gym, so feel free to go there when you’re ready, okay?” I saw her off, and stood at the top of the tower, still, for a few moments.

I decided to ring the bell again. It was that same, quiet, yet clear chime. Someone who’s curious, but worried about others… I guess that’s a good way to describe me, I thought, smiling to myself. It was getting a bit late already, just from our little talk, and getting up there, so I decided to go back down the way I came… but close to the entrance, I found myself extremely fatigued. There was no way that could have been possible, though. There weren't a lot of stairs… until I looked behind me back…  
A small, candle-like Pokémon clung to my foot, looking up at me. I blinked, then opened up my Pokédex. It turned out, this was Litwick, the Candle Pokémon, and was notoriously known for its life-draining capabilities… though this seemed more like an energy drain than a life drain. Not wanting to cause a scene, I decided to crouch down to eye-level and shake its little hand.  
“Hi there.” I whispered quietly with a smile, “Why’re you clinging to my shoe, huh?”  
“Wiiiii…” the wild Litwick replied, sounding a bit upset, and began to nudge me gently.  
“You… want to follow me?” I turned my head, “But you’re a wild Pokémon, I would have to catch you if you—huh?!”  
Well, this was certainly new. The cheeky thing took an Ultra Ball right out of my bag and pressed the button on it! In just a few seconds’ time, I had gotten a new, but unexpected teammate… I didn’t know what to name it yet, though. I was still in so much shock that after I had challenged Skyla’s gym, I flew straight back to my suite in the Nimbasa City Pokémon Center.

\---

Sitting on the suite bed, holding the Ultra Ball that contained Litwick, I pondered a few ideas. If I worried so much about those two… shouldn’t I try to help them? Then again, I thought to myself, I barely knew anything about them. Apparently, Emmet was the younger twin, and Ingo was the elder, but just what could I do to break the ice?

It almost seemed as if they weren’t interested in this Trainer Program thing, anyways. But, maybe the set-up is just very long… I’ve never heard about it ever, so it must be a pretty new thing. I can appreciate the fact that they ordered a jacket for me, but I probably should have just told them ‘you don’t have to.’  
Observing the yellow and black markings on the Pokéball for a while longer, I let out an exasperated sigh and placed it back in my bag… maybe there was a reason it wanted to be my partner, but I couldn’t be too sure.  
I realized, after thinking to myself for almost a half hour, I had derailed my focus. Right, right. I need to come up with a plan to get to know more about the twins. Maybe about things they like, or dislike. I recalled something that my mom told me a few years ago… 

“Summer, do you know why I homecook all the time?” She asked me one day at home, while preparing ingredients for a stew.  
“No, mom. Why’s that?” I looked up to her from behind the kitchen counter, to which I placed my forearms on.  
“Well, when I was a little girl… hm, about your age, my grandmother would always bake cookies for the holidays. She’d invite our family at that time of the year to make our own fun shapes and designs with the cookie dough, and we made home-made icing too!” She smiled to herself, brushing a strand of her chestnut brown hair back, “I always remember that time of the year, because the most interesting conversations would come out of it. I learned a lot about my own parents, and even that one of my aunts was a thief in school! Of course, it was in the past, but we laughed a lot.”  
“W-wow…” I mumbled to myself, “So, cooking with people helps you learn more about them?”  
“Pretty much!” My mom nodded as she tossed some carrots and celery into the pot, and looked at me, “I just thought you’d like the advice. The best way to talk to people is while you’re doing something with them!”  
“When you’re doing something with them, huh…”  
That night, she made chicken noodle soup for me, since I had a bit of a cold. I think we talked about some other things, too, but the memories are a bit fuzzy.

Yet, as soon as I remembered what she told me, I knew what I had to do.


	9. Hidden Talents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer puts a simple plan into action, and finds out that the Subway Masters... aren't just Subway Masters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for supporting my series as always! Updates should continue to be once every 1-2 months.

The following day, I woke up quickly, with a kick to my step. I knew just what to do!  
My plan was simple: get the Subway Masters to talk to me with some cooking. When I first saw their private quarters, I recall seeing a kitchenette. But, it was quite dark in their room, so I couldn’t see the entire space. Who knows, maybe they have an oven, and we could try baking! I was so excited, I almost forgot to pick up my bag, but managed to, and left the Pokémon Center with a cheery smile on my face.

As I walked down into Gear Station, I took in that familiar smell of electric currents and steel; it appeared to be a much more relaxed day for the employees there, which was a good sign. Hopefully I came at a good time, too, since it was a bit later into the morning. Now to find Ingo and Emmet…  
I looked around warily, trying to look for any trace of my new teachers, but oddly, I couldn’t find them anywhere for a while. It was a bit amusing, considering how unique they looked compared to the regular conductors, but I didn’t give up. Of course, at some point, it had probably been a few minutes until I just went and asked one of the workers.  
“Oh, you’re looking for the Subway Masters? They’re on break right now.” The young man told me, lifting the visor of his cap up a bit, “You must be their new apprentice, right?”  
“Whoa! How did you know?” I let out a gasp that was a bit too loud for my liking.  
“Haha, funny story, actually,” he laughed and looked off into the distance, “Subway Master Emmet came running out this morning flailing his arms and all, screaming his head off about some girl named Summer. I’m guessing that’s you.”  
“Yeah…” I scratched the back of my head bashfully.  
“Cool. Anyways, he got really mad at me when I asked about you, and now I’m on cleaning duty.” The worker let out a sigh, and grabbed the mop and bucket, “Anyways, I shouldn’t be keeping you, but eh, most of us know you’re their trainee and all that by now. See you.”  
“Bye!” I waved him off, and mumbled to myself, “Jeez, word spreads fast around here…” A bit of cold sweat went down my cheek as I said that. But, why would Emmet punish someone for asking about me? I’m just an average Pokémon trainer, but he does seem pretty attached to me… Regardless, I decided not to worry about it for the time being, and made my way to the private quarters, and knocked on the door.

“Knock knock!” I chirped, trying to sneak a peek from the crease where the door and doorframe meet.  
“Who’s there?” The recognizably sophisticated and mature voice of Ingo called out from the other side. I knew this was the best opportunity to make a joke!  
“Summer!” I called out, hoping he would know what to say, before opening the door.  
“Summer… who?” He replied, jokingly, and began to open the door slowly. Now’s my chance!  
“Summer’s alright for sailing!” I lunged headfirst and jumped into his arms—to which Ingo reacted with a shocked yelp, and we tumbled onto the floor… thankfully on a soft rug that furnished the entryway of their quarters.  
“Hahah, you certainly got me there.” He adjusted his cap, which had nearly come off, and sat up, “What's with all the energy?”  
“I wanted to do something with you guys on break!” I grinned, and stood up from his lap, “Since it’ll be awhile until the training actually starts and all…”  
“I see. What exactly is it that you intend on doing?”  
“I wanted to bake some cookies!” I showed him a bag of ingredients, then realized something, and looked around, “Uh… where’s Emmet?”

At that moment, Ingo flinched in a way I haven’t seen before. He quickly tipped down his hat by the visor in order to hide his eyes, but of course, that wouldn’t fly by my rules.  
“Hey…” I sulked, and crouched down to see his face, “Ingo, where’s Emmet?”  
“T-that’s— agh!” The conductor in black let out a stressed sigh, and finally returned eye contact, “I don’t know. I’ve been wondering myself, because the last time I saw him was last night.”  
“Huh… you didn’t see him this morning?”  
“No, I haven’t. I woke up late today, sadly.”  
I blinked for a moment, then returned the favor with a perplexed expression, “That’s weird. One of the workers here told me he was up early in the morning yelling about me.”  
“Ah, I’m a deep sleeper. I couldn’t hear him even if I was just about to wake up.” Ingo replied sheepishly, as he scratched the back of his head, “I have an idea: why don’t we look for him? You seem eager to make the cookies, and we do have an oven at the ready.”  
“Oh, yeah!” My eyes sparkled a bit, and I allowed him to take my hand, “So, do you have any idea where he could be?”

The two of us walked out of the station, after I set aside the baking goods at their kitchenette. Ingo guided me towards Nimbasa’s amusement park area, which displayed two large blown up figures of the popular Pokémon: Pikachu and Eevee. To be honest, I didn’t really care much for them, compared to other people, but I appreciated how devoted some trainers were to these Pokémon.  
Benches and fountains decorated the long walkway, and eventually, we stopped at the entry for the ferris wheel. On our way to look for the conductor in white, we were halted in our tracks due to a huge crowd gathering around the entryway. Only, no one was actually trying to board the ferris wheel… there was some sort of weird speech being given. Upon closer inspection, I saw…  
“That is why… I urge you to free your Pokémon!” A very tall man with pale green hair, donning a strange bi-colored cloak raised his hand outwards, “Team Plasma will not be stopped--we will do anything to end the neglect you have all done to these precious creatures you have willingly enslaved…”  
“Maybe he’s right…” a young woman muttered to herself.  
“Hey, cut it.” A man next to her nudged her with his shoulder and hissed, “You really think this guy has any idea what he’s saying?” The cloaked man who directed the speech glared at the two in the crowd, then let out a quiet sigh. He wrapped up the speech, and was led off by some oddly-dressed people. A bright blue “P” was marked on their tops, emphasizing the name of their team. So sinister looking, for what seemed to be just regular people protesting the rights of Pokémon.  
“Hey, Ingo…” I tugged on my mentor’s black coat and looked up, “Is… what that man was saying… true?”  
He looked at me almost instantly, and sighed, “No, of course not.” Ingo tipped his cap down by its brim, “Team Plasma has done nothing but cause trouble… the rallies are one thing, but if you haven’t heard, they’ll forcibly try to steal Pokémon in order to ‘liberate’ them. Personally, I don’t believe it’s true, considering the rallies they had done here, and in Gear Station, but…”  
“But..?” That piqued my interest, as I stood up on my tip-toes, “Hey, what is it?”  
“You sure are curious, Summer.” Ingo let out a hesitant laugh, and scratched his cheek with his left index finger, “It took a lot of convincing with only myself and my brother, but we managed to drive them off. They won’t do rallies inside the station, thankfully.”  
“Well, that’s good, right?”  
“I suppose so.” I came to realize that he was trying to dismiss the topic, so I stopped pestering him about it. Team Plasma, huh… I wonder what kind of goal they have in mind with trying to get people to “free their Pokémon.” Who would even do that? Pokémon are our friends, I don’t see why they would want to be freed unless they told us so! At least… that’s what I thought; it seemed other people’s values were very different, but I didn’t let it get to me.

The two of us continued to search the amusement park area a bit more, before we both leapt at the sound of someone’s voice.  
“Summer!” Emmet chirped, and ran towards me--I quickly put my arms out as he hugged me and looked up, “And big bro’s here, too!”  
“H-hi, Emmet!” I gasped, almost out of breath from the impact. Despite his slender frame, he nearly toppled me to the ground, and I pushed him off--hoping he wouldn’t feel too offended, “You doing alright?”  
“Yup!” He nodded, and formed his hands into fists, excited, “I went to ride the roller coaster again. It was so fun!”  
“Ehehe… that’s great!” I muttered nervously, noticing Ingo’s serious expression. Worried, I nudged him a bit, and he noticed.  
The conductor in black’s frown softened to concern, “Emmet, we’ve been looking for you for hours now. Why didn’t you tell me you were going to go outside?”  
“Why do I need to tell you if I’m going outside?” He pouted, and attempted to storm off, only to be dragged back to where he was standing by his older brother, “Hey! I was gonna go back to the station. You know, like you asked!”  
“I never asked you to go back to the station.” Ingo muttered, and let out an agitated sigh, “But, we may as well go back anyways, right Summer?”  
“H-huh? Oh!” I let out a gasp once more, and looked at the white-clad man, “Emmet, I wanted to do something with you and Ingo!”

After we went back to Gear Station, I guided the twins down to their private quarters—I just about knew the way by now, and waited for Ingo to unlock the door. As I walked in, I ran to the kitchenette and took the ingredients out of the bag. The twins took off their coats and caps, revealing their asymmetrical, fluffy and spiky silver hair. Such interesting hairstyles… I thought to myself, and watched them put on coordinated red aprons. They seemed to have a light layer of dust on them, which suggested that they haven’t been used in months, or even years.

“Alright.. We’re ready.” The conductor in black replied calmly, “How about you, Emmet?”  
“Yup! Ready!” He nodded energetically, “Okey-doke, what do we got here?”  
“Okay, you two!” I huffed, a bit relieved, “I bought some ingredients we can use to make cookies… I just thought it would be something fun we could do while we wait for stuff like my uniform.. and the actual Trainer Program..”  
“Good idea!” Emmet was already next to me at the kitchenette, but his smile faded quickly, “Umm. What’s this stuff?”  
“This is ‘flour.’” Ingo quietly mumbled, holding up the small, packed bag, and then picked up a yellow rectangular prism that was wrapped in waxed paper, “And this is butter. Two very simple ingredients for baking… tell me, Summer, are these ingredients for butter cookies?”  
“Yeah!” I nodded with a cheery grin, “My mom taught me how to make them at home, but my baking skills are still a bit rusty…”  
“That should be no problem.” He smiled weakly, and laid all the ingredients out surrounding a mixing bowl he took out from a cabinet below the countertop, “First, we need to measure the dry ingredients…”  
I watched with fascination, seeing Ingo able to effortlessly measure and mix up all the ingredients for the cookie dough. Just how in the world did he know how to do this, if he was a Subway Master? Did they need to know how to cook for themselves? I wonder…  
“You’re really good at this…” I mumbled quietly, as he began to separate the dough into 3 round balls and placed them each in smaller bowls. Blush was visible on his cheeks, as he laughed nervously, and averted his gaze.  
“It’s nothing.” Ingo had a little smile on his face, as he reached out for some cocoa and food coloring, “Someone has to cook around here, and it definitely won’t be Emmet.”  
“Hey!” The younger twin pouted and tugged at his cooking apron, “Why am I here then, anyways?!”  
“To shape the dough with Summer, of course.” He looked over briefly, then back, “So, we have vanilla, chocolate and blue dough. You two have fun making some cookies, and I’ll check the oven.”  
“Y-you have an oven?” I flinched, “I can’t see anything in here…”  
“It’s below the counter here.” Ingo nodded, and opened it briefly, closing his eyes from whatever amount of heat it was generating, “It’s not ready yet, but should be when you two are done.”  
“Okay!” I shook my head in equal agreement, and looked at Emmet, “You ready?”  
“Always!” The twin in white huffed, rolling his sleeves up. He instinctively grabbed the vanilla dough, and began to spread it out on the counter with a rolling pin, “You roll the blue dough out!”

After some more time, we finished shaping the cookies. The designs varied from subway cars, hats, and I decided to make miniature faces of the twins just for fun… which took me awhile. Emmet made some more simpler designs, having obviously struggled to follow my example, but I didn’t call him out on it. Then, we stuck them all in the oven once it was said and done. But something was wrong…  
“Huh, weird.” Ingo murmured, “Even after a half hour, the oven isn’t heating up past 200 degrees Fahrenheit.”  
“Eh?” I looked over, and frowned, “Oh… hmm…” I thought for a moment, then a lightbulb went off, “Aha, I have an idea!”  
“What’s that?” The black-clad conductor looked at me with curiosity, and his brother peered over as well.  
“Baker’s new secret!” I chimed, and threw the Ultra Ball up, “Litwick, come on out!”  
“Wiiiick!” The small candle Pokémon burst out and landed on the countertop.  
“Ingo, Emmet, meet the new member of my team!”  
My newest partner looked around the room, before looking up at the twins and waving it’s little wax arm at them.  
“A Litwick? How curious!” Ingo remarked, and placed a hand on his chin, “It’s a Fire-type, so excellent thinking!”  
“Yup!” I nodded, “You seem real interested in this little guy.” He flinched at my response and blushed, scooting away.  
“Ah, haha… uh…” Ingo laughed to himself, then spoke up bashfully, “Well, my first partner is my Chandelure, and it used to be a Litwick when I got it years ago.”  
“Haha, I remember that!” Emmet squeaked, “Oh man! Ingo REALLY likes his Chandelure!”  
“Oh, cut it, you!” He huffed and placed his hands on his hips, “I could say the same for you and Eelektross…”  
“Hmph!” The younger twin crossed his arms, “Well they were our first partners. But you’re always talking about Chandelure!”  
“I am not!”  
“Yes you are!”  
“What about you and Eelektross?!”  
“Not important!”  
“Ugh…!”  
The two pestered each other for a bit, and I waited for their rambling to subside, before they finally ceased and looked in my direction.  
“Sorry about that, Summer..” Ingo apologized, and bowed, “We should get to heating the oven up now.”  
“Yeah, sure!” I agreed, and looked towards my new partner, “Litwick, can you use any sort of fire move to help us heat up the oven?”  
“Liii… wick!” The purple-flamed candle Pokémon called out, and shot a small orange flame from its candlewick, and Ingo quickly closed the oven… it began to heat up rapidly and the cookies soon began to bake.  
“Bravo, simply bravo!” He cheered, “Our oven should be working again! Thank you, Summer!”  
“Yeah, Summer! Thanks!” Emmet chimed in and gave me a hug, “And Litwick too!”  
“Wick!” Litwick chirped as it was given a little hug by the slender white-clad man’s arms, and placed down.  
“Haha, it’s nothing really.” I replied sheepishly, “And Ingo, you should’ve told me you had a Chandelure! That gives me an idea!”  
“Hm?” He turned to me, “And what could this idea of yours be?”  
“I’ll name my Litwick after you!” I smiled, a faint sunny blush on my cheeks, as I picked up my little partner, “How about it, Ingo Jr.?” Litwick seemed overjoyed by this, but when I looked up to Ingo, his face was beet red.  
“Oh… I…” He coughed, and tried to shake off the embarrassment, “Well, that’s certainly t-thoughtful of you, Summer...”  
“Oooooohhhh…” Emmet snarked, “I’m so jealous! Big bro’s got a Pokémon named after him!”  
“Why, you…!”


	10. The Curtain Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer and the Subway Masters get a one-way ticket to musical town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The following chapter contains themes of cross-dressing (both male and female). If you are uncomfortable reading this kind of content, feel free to stop at the dashed line.

Walking along the sidewalk of Nimbasa once more to get in a daily walk, I took in the city air with a deep breath. The strong aroma of fair foods interrupted my train of thought, huh, fair foods? Was there something happening today?  
To find out the answer to my question, I hopped along to where people flocked, and saw there was a small carnival being held at the fairgrounds, where the roller coaster and ferris wheel were located. Younger kids ran past me, giggling, alongside their Pokémon who followed, and I looked up.  
“Nimbasa… Festival.” I recited the words on a long banner that was hung up on one of the arches. Huh, interesting! I thought to myself, and explored a bit. Several stands were propped up on either side of the pathway, with commodities ranging from corn dogs and funnel cakes, to delicate handmade soaps and jewelry shops. It was great! But… of course I wasn’t really interested in everything there, so I left before it got too crowded. I felt I needed a break from the excitement in Nimbasa, and wrote up a note to Ingo and Emmet again before trekking off to Driftveil City.

Driftveil gave off a whole different energy than Nimbasa did. For one, it was a lot more… rustic, which goes without saying, since Gym Leader Clay was all done up in cowboy gear. But of course, it was quite misleading, especially with the introduction of jobs at the Cold Storage, and how prosperous the miners worked there. I was quite envious of their hard work, to be honest, though I couldn’t admit it publicly.  
I did a spot of shopping at the market, getting a few recovery items in case my Pokémon got hurt, and sat down outside at a little metal table and chair. Sipping on some Pecha berry juice, I looked off and saw a girl absorbed in looking at a bulletin board. She seemed really eager about something on there, and it seemed like I was too, as I wandered over and looked at her.  
“What’re you looking at?” I asked curiously, and tapped her on the shoulder, still holding onto my juice cup.  
“This!” The girl pointed at a poster on the bulletin board and squealed, “The annual Gear Station Stamp Rally… oh…! I can finally battle them again!”  
“Them..?” I mumbled, and looked over, “Oh!”  
“The Subway Masters, duh!” She snarked, and placed her hands on her hips, “You’re telling me you don’t know about them? They’re, like, some of the strongest Pokémon Trainers in Unova!”  
“Of course I do…” I replied nonchalantly, and looked over, “But… it looked like you were focused on something else.”  
“H-haha, what are you saying…” The girl replied nervously, pushing her index fingers together in a quirky motion, “That upcoming musical in Nimbasa? Oh, please…”

I looked over to the other poster, “Midsummer’s Night Prince and the Midnight Star Ball? You could’ve just been honest… it looks pretty cool.”  
“Weeeeellll…” Upon closer examination, this girl seemed to be around my age, but obviously had some sort of job. She had messy, matcha green hair, and rustic yellow clothing with puffy sleeves. A long red scarf was wrapped around her neck, and below were some goggles with orange bug-like lenses. She seemed to be a mechanic of some sort, as I watched her tap the musical poster with her white-gloved hands.  
“I can’t imagine the lead actors and actresses called out sick! It’s absolutely horrendous!” As she raised her hands up in the air briefly, she pointed at me, “Regardless! I’ve been looking for tickets, and had no luck at all! Despite this, they’re all sold out, and I’m ticked off!”  
“C-calm down…” I murmured, walking back a bit.  
“Calm down? CALM DOWN?!” She screamed, slapping my cup out of my hand--the pink juice spilling out onto the concrete, “Do you really think I’m going to miss this once-a-year opportunity to see one of the greatest shows run at the Nimbasa City Musical Theater?!”  
I stood in silence, watching my drink seep into the sidewalk’s crevices, weeping a bit. I barely got to drink that… I thought to myself, and looked back up at the girl. She was drenched with a feeling of guilt so great, that she nearly took off, before I grabbed her by her red scarf.  
“You gonna pay for that?” I grumbled, and she turned back over to me.  
“Uh… let’s discuss it at my place.”  
Her name was Mímia, and she lived here in Driftveil as a mechanic. Doing personal projects at the moment, she used to construct drill machines and fix existing drills for tunnels that were being dug when she was little.  
“Now… well, I’m working on a bit of a secret project.” The green-haired girl grinned eagerly, and winked at me, “Don’t tell anyone about this, especially them, okay?”  
“Sure…” I laughed sheepishly. Was she talking about Ingo and Emmet...?  
“Okay, alright!” Mímia unveiled a satin cloth to reveal some sort of humanoid-like figure, “This is SUB-a, a robotic Pokémon trainer. Of course... he’s not done yet... barely done, but I think he’ll be ready in a few years.”

I examined the robot closer. It had no face, and didn’t have any sight of hair either, but it at least had limbs and a torso... and a head. It lay cold on a slightly elevated platform, sitting. I noticed a mock-backpack attached with sturdy leather straps, a small steam-pipe to the side of the backpack. It was impressive, really.  
“A few years?!” I gasped, “H-how long have you been working on this? It looks amazing!”  
“Hah, don’t flatter me.” She blushed a bit, scratching her cheek, “I still need to do all the programming, but the body of the robot’s almost done.”  
“So... why don’t you want me to tell them?” I mumbled quietly, having told her my little relationship with the Subway Masters when she explained some things to me earlier.  
“Well, I like them. A lot.” Mímia laughed, and walked over to her computer, which had a bunch of images and videos of them on the desktop, “Ignore that. Uhhh... well, I want to give SUB-a a synthesized voice that sounds like them, and that’s kind of why I wanted to win the Stamp Rally... you know, maybe if I win, and I can battle them again...”  
“Again...?”  
“O-oh, I’ve battled them a few times.” The young girl nodded, and shrugged, “But they’re way too strong! Maybe it’s because I use a Ghost-type and a Rock type... I forgot Ingo’s Chandelure is a Ghost and Fire hybrid-type, haha.”  
“That’s true...” I placed a hand on my chin and thought, “What kind of Pokémon does Emmet use?”  
“Last time I battled them in a Multi Battle, he used Eelektross and Galvantula.” Mímia pointed at a photo she took--assuming it was from a battle she was in, “Eelektross is a pure Electric type, and Galvantula is an Electric and Bug hybrid-type... I would need at least a Ground-type Pokémon or a Pokémon that knows a Ground-type move to pummel him, but alas...”  
“You don’t have one, huh.” I looked down, “Jeez, I never knew they were so strong of trainers, but they offered to train me in the Trainer Program...”  
“And that’s why I’ll ask you about this!” She pointed at me with a big smile, “C-can you, uh, help me get some more voice recordings from them?”  
“How am I supposed to do that?” I deadpanned, obviously confused, “You know, you could just come with me and I’ll introduce you to them when they’re on break time.”  
“O-oh, I could NEVER.” Mímia giggled nervously, and placed her hands on her cheeks bashfully, “Ahh... I’m sorry for bothering you with my problems, you don’t need to help me with the voice things... I need to repay you for that drink, anyways...”  
“Uh huh.”  
“Oh, I know!” Her eyes lit up, “How about we watch that musical at the Musical Theater together? That would be fun!”  
“But you said the tickets are all sold out...” I mumbled.  
“Dang it!” She ruffled her hair and pouted, “Ugh, there has to be something I can do...”  
“You don’t have to, right this minute, it was just some berry juice.” I replied sheepishly, “Here, you can just register me on your Xtransciever. You have one, right?”  
“Yeah... sorry about all this.” She mumbled.

After registering Mímia onto my Xtransciever, I bid farewell, as I left Driftveil to go back to Nimbasa City. Resting at the Pokémon Center, I decided to let out my first partner Karma out of his Pokeball.  
“Oh, Karma...” I muttered, as I placed my hand on his head, “What do I do?”  
“Dew?” The adolescent sea otter Pokémon looked up, curious.  
“Ah, I guess it isn’t your problem,” I chuckled, and motioned him to sit with me on the bed, “C’mere.”  
I found some videos online with my phone on battles against the Subway Masters. Somehow, it seems like they had made it to the semi-finals in the Pokémon league one year, and it was intriguing. I tapped on it, and let the video play.

“This time, we’ll be having a fierce Double Battle! Feast your eyes upon the Subway Masters Ingo and Emmet!”  
Clouds of smoke trailed up to the center of the field, and the two slender men stood on one side of the League arena, posing in sync. They didn’t look far different from how they looked now... Crowds cheered wildly, some waving flags and banners with designs to mimic the iconic duo, and colorful light-sticks waved wildly all around.  
“We’ve never come this far outside of the Battle Subway...” Ingo spoke up formally, and smiled, “There’s no way we’re going to lose this time, right Emmet?”  
“Of course not! We’ve checked all the signals, and everything’s ready!” Emmet chirped, and signaled a cue to pose, “We’re on our way to victory!”  
“All aboard!” They shouted in sync, and did their signature pointing pose. The crowd went wild, and the two waved out to the audience; cameras zooming in at instant speeds.  
“And on the other team, the Elite Four members Grimsley and Shauntal!”  
A purple smoke led up this time, and the two appeared across from the twins.  
“Ha, I never thought I’d see the day when I’d be battling alongside you, Shauntal.” The sharp black-haired man snarked, “Don’t let me down.”  
“As she walked up to this grand stage alongside a partner in crime...” She was looking down at a notebook, adjusting her pink circle-frame glasses, “...facing two obscene buffoons... oh! Right, we're supposed to be batting... let's do this!” The two then posed briefly, as the audience cheered once more.

I skipped around a bit in the video, but stopped at one part of the battle that struck me in particular. It seemed like the two Elite Four members had an advantage over the Subway Masters...  
“Chandelure, use Shadow Ball on the opponent’s Jellicent!” Ingo called out, desperately.  
“Chandeeluuure!” The glass-flame Pokémon released a dark blob-like sphere from its body, and shot at the ghostly jellyfish Pokémon across from it.  
“Jelliiii!”  
“Oh no, Jellicent!” Shauntal cried, but obviously didn’t seem too phased by this, “Return a Shadow Ball back, now!”  
“Sceent!”  
“Chaaa!” Ingo’s Chandelure took mortal damage from the mirrored attack, and seemed to be in critical health.  
“Chandelure!” He gasped, panicking as his eyes darted around and turned to his brother, “Emmet, you need to do something!”  
“Uhh!” The white-clad brother flinched, “Eelektross, use Discharge!”  
“Eeleeeeee!”  
The large electric eel Pokémon began charging up drastic amounts of energy, but I wasn’t able to see what happened next, because the cameras were launched back, if not interrupted by the strong release of electrical energy. A large “connection interrupted” and apology graphic were displayed on the video afterwards, and then cut back to the battle. The four Trainers were collapsed on the ground, alongside their Pokémon who had all fainted.  
“And the result is... a tie.” One of the announcers called out, “There will be a rematch scheduled after the next semi-finals match.”  
“What?!”  
“Seriously?”  
It seemed like they were gravely injured from the sheer damage Eelektross had caused. All four Trainers: Grimsley, Shauntal, Ingo and Emmet were carried off on stretchers. It was hard to see, but it looked like the twins had suffered more severe injuries, as news reporters scrambled around the urgent care workers. I caught a glimpse of a camera catching a close-up of Emmet, whose coat was tattered to reveal a strange red scar around his neck. I didn’t exactly think much of it, as I had shamefully closed the video with a sigh. Karma had gone back into his Pokéball by the time I finished watching the match, and I decided to rest my head for a few hours.  
I woke up during the evening, and hopped out of bed. Mímia said she wanted to see that musical that was going to be performed this weekend, but all the tickets were sold out. How in the world could I score some tickets, if they were all sold out?  
Not sure what to make of this bizarre request, I decided to solve this problem on my own, and walked out to the fairgrounds again, noticing a young woman who sat by herself at the food court benches, staring at her lap.  
“How am I going to do this now...” she mumbled to herself sadly, and looked up, “Oh...”  
“Eeek, I’m sorry.” I walked back a bit.  
“It’s okay...” The young lady smiled weakly, and looked away, “Everyone sure is having fun, aren’t they?”  
“Seems like it.” I nodded, and got a closer look at her lap. She was holding two tickets in her hands, but almost as if she was going to let go of them--the wind could blow them away at any second.

“You... you’re looking at these tickets, aren’t you?” She raised the dark blue tickets up, still smiling, “I don’t have much of a use for them.”  
“Huh, why not?” I asked, “Isn’t that for the musical this weekend? I was told it’s really popular.”  
“That is true.” The woman nodded, and brushed her dark brown hair out of her face; a small moon clip on the right of her side swept bangs, “My husband is actually the lead performer, but he fell ill a few days before the performance, and they haven’t found any replacements yet... neither for the two lead actresses... why should I watch a show when the man I love the most won’t be able to perform?” She was holding back tears, so I walked over and comforted her.  
“H-hey, it’s okay.” I mumbled, “I don’t really understand your situation, but it would kind of be a waste if you aren’t gonna go...”  
“...true...” She looked down at the tickets, and then at me, “Umm... maybe you could have them?”  
“M-me?!”  
“Yes, I don’t mind. It would be more resourceful than throwing them away or selling them, right?” The woman smiled at me, “Come on, just take them.”  
Eventually, I carried two tickets to the special musical in my hands... This was the show that Mímia wanted to see!  
Excited, I dialed her on my Xtransciever, and her face showed up on the little screen.  
“Hey, it’s Mímia!” Her voice chimed, and she saw me from her end, “Oh, hey Summer!”  
“Hi!” I smiled, and showed her the tickets, “Look what I got!”  
“O-M-G!” She gasped, and squealed, “Summer! You’re the BEST! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, okay, okay… calm down... I’m coming over ASAP, just wait!” Abruptly, the call was hung up, and I waited patiently at a bench away from the fairgrounds.  
I felt a tap on my shoulders, and was shocked to see Emmet sticking his face into my business.  
“Uhhh!” I nearly fell off the bench, “H-hi…”  
“Hi!” The white-clad twin grinned and sat next to me, “What are you doing?”  
“Umm… I’m just waiting for a friend.” I laughed sheepishly, putting the tickets into my bag, “She wanted to see the upcoming musical.”  
“Oooh! I love Pokémon Musicals!” Emmet cheered, pumping his fists, “They’re so fun! Eelektross loves them too! But it’s a shame the lead actors called out, right?”  
“Yeah… I wonder what they’re going to do, I mean… it’s in like 2 days, right?” I pondered and placed a finger on my lip, “What do you think they’re gonna do, Emmet?”  
“Hahaha, I don’t know!” He laughed forcibly, placing his hands on his stomach from finding it too entertaining, “It’s crazy! I mean, they could always cast me!”  
“You…?” I mumbled, “You don’t think Ingo would be better as the role of the Midsummer’s Night Prince?”  
“Ingo’s too shy to perform on a stage.” Emmet grumbled and crossed his arms, “I always ask him to join me in a Pokémon Musical. Do you know what he tells me?”  
“What does he tell you?” I asked curiously.  
“You know. ‘Emmet, I’m far too busy to concern myself with such silly things unrelated to our jobs.’ Like we don’t already have generous time off!” His face turned beet red, “If he just knew how much fun these are, t-then…!”

“Summer!”  
“Huh?” Emmet and I paused, and looked over to see Mímia run towards me.  
“Heeeyy!” She paused in her tracks, seeing the white-clothed conductor, and panicked, “Ah-“  
“Summer, who’s this?” The cheery silver-haired conductor looked at me with a curious smile.  
“I-I can explain…”  
After calming down Mímia and answering Emmet’s endless questions, the two had mellowed down.  
“Haha, I totally forgot you’re their pupil.” Mímia responded bashfully, “It’s kind of crazy to see a Subway Master outside of Gear Station…”  
“I’m outside a lot!” Emmet grinned, and placed his hands behind his head, “We get generous break time, cuz we have a lot of lesser employees always doing the work for us. I’m usually only working on the Doubles Train. Besides, we rarely get to battle anyone nowadays!”  
“Oooh, I see…” Mímia clicked something in her pocket with a small smile, “Oh, right! Summer!”  
“Ah…” I was a bit caught off guard, “Right, the tickets. Here.”  
“You don’t want to watch it with me?” She pouted.  
“Oh, it’s fine.” I shrugged it off, “I think training for me starts next week.”  
“Yeah! Training!” The white-clad Subway Master huffed, “I’m so excited!”  
“Ahhh, alright…” Mímia mumbled quietly, “I guess I’ll be on my way back home. See you later!”  
“See you!” I waved her off, as she trekked away in the direction towards her home city.

“Hey, Emmet.” I looked up at the silvery eyed friend of mine.  
“Yeah?” He looked down at me with a smile, expecting to hear something.  
“Why don’t we bring Ingo over to the Musical Theater?”  
“Oh, good idea!” Emmet grinned; his smile didn’t seem as ominous as I thought it was before, “Maybe he’ll listen to me since you’re here!”  
“I doubt it…”  
We walked on off to Gear Station and located the elder twin, who hopped off of the Single Battle train.  
“Phew…” He let out a sigh of exasperation, “...what a tough challenge… ah…”  
“Hey, Ingo!” I waved.  
“Summer!” Ingo seemed happy to see me, and ran over, “And Emmet, it seems you found her.”  
“Yup! I told her about the training.” The younger twin nodded eagerly.  
“That’s good. Summer, you are aware of this, yes?”  
“Mhm.” I nodded, “Next week, I start my training, right?”  
“According to our schedule.” He replied quietly, “As for the uniform, we’ll do away with it for now, since it isn’t really a requirement, and the manufacturers seem to be all booked up.”  
“That’s fine.” I smiled, but was interrupted by Emmet, who pushed me out of the way.  
“Soooo!” The younger twin spoke up, “Now that we’re both done for the day, can you FINALLY come to the Musical Theater with me?”  
Ingo groaned, “Emmet, I have told you countless times that I do not care for those kind of—“  
“But Summer’s here!” He huffed, and pushed me up, expecting me to say something in his defense.  
“Well.. there’s a big show coming up, and the lead actors called out sick… it’s a show about a prince traveling to an underground kingdom.” I read from a pamphlet I got back in Driftveil and handed it to him, “Maybe you could try it out?”  
“T-try out?” He got flustered, and while he took the pamphlet, he tried to shove it into his pocket, “S-Summer, I’m not really that kind of…”  
“Oh…”  
“Come on!” Emmet cried, “This could be a big chance for us! If not for the Pokémon League, what about performances?”  
“Emmet, we are called the Subway Masters for a reason.” Ingo sighed, reclaiming his calm composure, “There is no reason for me to hinder my skills in battle for a silly little children’s play--”  
“No buts!” The younger twin chirped, and grabbed his brother’s hand, “We are GOING!”  
“H-hey!” Ingo hesitated, struggling to keep up despite being dragged by the white-clad brother of his, “Emmet!”

In minutes time, both me and Ingo were dragged all the way over to the Musical Theater, and inside.  
“So, all we need to do is find a director!” Emmet huffed, then placed a hand on his chin, “Hmm… director… director… what does a director look like…”  
“A tall guy, right?” I asked, making vague assumptions, much to my obvious uncertainty.

“Oh… they’re perfect!”  
“Eh?”

A young lady with fluffy, pink hair with ear-like tufts and a fairy-like outfit decorated with hearts was carefully observing the twins, then stood back and did a weird camera-like motion with her hands, “They’re twins… AND they’re strong Pokémon Trainers! This is perfect!”  
“Umm… pardon me.” Ingo spoke up hesitantly, raising a finger, “Who are you?”  
“Oh, me?” The lady stepped back and smiled, “My name’s Pomarosa! I’m a director here at the Musical Theater, and I’m looking for some talented Trainers for the upcoming play!”  
“Is this about the Midsummer’s Night Prince?” I asked, perplexed.  
“Yes!” Pomarosa clapped her hands together in glee, “I’m so happy you know about it, because I am in DESPERATE need for some actors!”  
“Oh! Oh! I wanna do acting!” Emmet chimed in, eager to get into the action, “Hi, I’m Emmet! I really like Pokémon battles!”  
The pink-haired director giggled, “Of course I know you, silly! You certainly make a ruckus on the freewheeler stage!” She directed her gaze towards the other twin, “And this is…”  
“I-I… oh…” The black-clad elder brother flinched a bit, and bowed nervously, “My name is Ingo.. it’s a pleasure to meet you, Pomarosa.”  
“Oh, what a nice name! I knew the Subway Masters were here at Nimbasa, but wow… wow!” Pomarosa grinned, and grabbed their hands, “This is perfect, really, it’s perfect! Come on, you three, come with me to the dressing room!”  
“Wh-what?!” Ingo replied profusely, “I can’t perform! I-I really— augh!”  


\----------  


Soon enough, we all found ourselves standing in a very… pink… room. A dressing room, also known as a makeup room for backstage was often built in theaters… and this one no less.  
I looked around warily, while Pomarosa talked up a storm to the twins. While Emmet seemed eager to get into it, I could tell Ingo was definitely not in the right mindset for this. I knew they could take care of themselves, so I went off to get my script… only I was shocked to find that I was going to be the Midsummer’s Night Prince!  
“You’re really going to be giving this role to me?” I muttered quietly.  
“Oh, it’s no big deal. Really!” The pink-haired lady’s blue eyes sparkled as she spoke, “Of course it’s a bit unorthodox to have a girl play as a male character, I don’t think anyone would care! Hey, it’s the modern era, for crying out loud!”  
“Ah, that’s true!” I nodded, “I’ll study this script day and night, promise!”  
“Good to hear!” She smiled, and looked at the twins, who seemingly were both about to explode with different emotions…  
“I get to be a princess?!”  
“W-why must I be a princess?!”  
Oh dear.

“That’s so cool!” Emmet exclaimed, with a grin that seemed bigger than normal, “Right, big bro?”  
“I-I… what is the meaning of this?!” Ingo cried out, his face flushed a bright shade of red, “This can’t be right! I cannot allow myself to be seen in… in…” I walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
“Ingo, it’ll be fine…” I spoke up calmly, and winked, “No one is going to know it’s you, don’t worry!”  
“Yeah, we won’t tell anyone who the replacement actors are.” Pomarosa smiled softly, “Plus, I can do you up with as much makeup as you’re comfortable with. I know it’s super weird, but trust me, no one will care.”  
“If you insist…” Ingo let out a stressed sigh, and placed his hand on his forehead, “I just need a bit of time to think about this.”  
“That’s fine!” The director nodded, and looked in the direction of the younger twin, “So, Emmet, you want to try on the costume?”  
“Oooh! Yay!” Emmet laughed and followed the young lady, sporting his usual swinging-arm walk, “Lead the way!”

I also got to try on my costume for the play. It was an elegantly laced tailcoat and trousers with faux gold and… lace; a shade of royal blue, and a bit loose-fitting, but that was alright, as long as I can’t trip in long pants… which thankfully were fixed promptly for me. To fit the part, I undid my top bun and pigtails to tie my hair into a longer ponytail in the back. Now I looked like a proper prince! I looked at my reflection with a proud smile, but gasped as soon as I saw the reflection of a stranger to my right.  
“W-what in the?!” I bounced back, and pointed at the unknown lady, “E-E-Em…”  
“Yup! It’s me!” The younger twin twirled around and posed, “How do I look?” Emmet was fancied up in a rather gaudy, but pretty ball gown; more recognizably of the shape of ones you’d find from kingdoms of old. It was as white as a swan, with black and silver motifs lining the waistline and chest area, and a corset was obviously fitted to adjust said waistline. Some rail tracks seemed to be the design on the dress, and a similarly designed tiara rested upon silky, shimmering silver locks that gently brushed against his shoulders; part of it tied into a braid in the back—obviously they had to match with those sideburns that couldn’t be hidden at all.  
I simply gazed in shock, before regaining my composure… but I guess I took too long to take it in, because he began to get moody again.  
“Ugh, I knew it!” Emmet cried out and buried his fists—of which were fitted with white silk gloves—into his dress, “Maybe big bro was right…”  
“N-no, no! Wait!” I panicked and consoled him, “You look great! I was just shocked because… because you look so pretty…”  
“Ohh, really? Then why didn’t you say so?” He huffed proudly, placing his hands on his hips, “Hey, Ingo! What do you think?”  
We located Ingo, who was slowly approaching the door back to the lobby, when he stopped in his tracks.  
“Augh!” He winced and looked back, blushing, “This is too much, I’m telling you…”  
“Big bro…” Emmet pouted, looking disappointed, “Can’t you just give it a chance? Does it really matter?”  
“I-I do not care about the clothes!” Ingo squirmed, and turned back, “What about our reputations?! We’re supposed to be known as some of the strongest trainers in Unova, not some… stupid…”  
“H-hey, hey, hey!” Pomarosa intervened and pushed the elder brother back to the room where we stood, “There’s always some sort of mock battle in Pokémon musicals, you know?”  
“Mock… battles?” The black-clad twin mumbled curiously, “So you’re saying…”  
“Duh! Why else did I say I like Pokémon battles and she knew?” Emmet called out, “Come on! You say I act like a child, but look at yourself!”  
“Rrrggghh…” Ingo grumbled to himself, took a deep breath to calm down, then looked at the pink-haired director, “...Alright, I’ll give it a shot.”

Emmet and I sat on a sofa obscured to the opposite wall from the dressing mirrors, and were engaging in some small talk, before we noticed someone step out of a dressing room and gasped in unison.  
A tall, young woman with silvery grey hair—braided in the back with a ribbon—nervously walked out; her hands dressed with satin white gloves, folded on a gown much like Emmet’s, only a beautiful shade of bluish-black. The same railroad track design was adorned on the dress and tiara, and she wore black glass heels to emphasize her royalty.  
Of course, this wasn’t actually a real woman, it was Ingo.  
“Please don’t stare…” He muttered and looked down, “...this is just humiliating.”  
“Wow, we match!” Emmet ran up to his older brother and grinned, “Twin sisters!”  
“Brothers.” Ingo corrected the younger twin, “We are brothers, Emmet.”  
“But for tonight, we are sisters!”  
“Ugh…”

I approached the two with a small smile, “You two look great!”  
“Indeed, it’s perfect!” Pomarosa pitched in, “Don’t worry yourself none, Ingo, it’s just for tonight—like your brother said!”  
“Right…” The elder twin grimaced, and stroked one of his sideburns, “And you propose to tell me no one will recognize these?”  
“Come on, now…” The pink-haired director pouted, “There are plenty of gals with long side hair…”  
“Hmph, fine.” Ingo crossed his arms, “Alright, then, when exactly does the show start?”  
“Umm… in a few hours.” She thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up, “Have you all been looking over the scripts?”  
“Yup.” I nodded, “I’ve got it.”  
“Me too!” Emmet grinned from ear to ear, “I’m ready! Super ready!”  
“Ah…” The black-dress clad conductor mumbled to himself, “It may take me a moment.”  
“No worries, just keep the time in mind!” Pomarosa smiled warmly, and went off to leave the dressing room, “I’m gonna go talk to the other actors, but I’ll be back when it’s time for everyone to take their places. See ya!”  
In seconds time, a door was shut on us, and we had no other choice but to review the scripts a few more times before we were expected to go on stage… and perform in what was going to be the biggest show of the night.


	11. The Midsummer’s Night Prince and the Midnight Star Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A performance in the Musical Theater that you'll never forget!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The following chapter contains cross-dressing (both male and female), alongside some real-world issue themes. You can skip to the end if you're not comfortable reading it.

NARRATOR

_ Long long ago… in a forgotten past of Unovan history, lied a kingdom buried under the ground. Not many knew of this place, but those who went there reported how captivating… how beautiful it was. _

_ Labyrinthis was its name. It was a bustling city filled with trade, and gold, and riches. The nobles weren’t stuck-up, and even the peasants were treated fairly, all under the rule of their seventh king, beloved by them all. King Gregor II had two daughters, twin sisters, quite unorthodox in the bloodline’s history, as the next leader must be a firstborn son. However, he had faith that one of his daughters would be able to find the perfect suitor… perhaps this night, at the annual Midnight Star Ball. _

_ The Midsummer’s Night Prince heard word of this strange, almost forgotten kingdom, and decided to go there for himself, to see just what this place was all about. Little did he know, it was the night of the special dance, and he would get entangled in a bit of a… conundrum. _

**  
  
**

MN PRINCE (MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT PRINCE)

So this is Labyrinthis… the “Underground Kingdom”.

It’s a pretty beautiful place; they weren’t kidding.

PEDDLER

Ho there! Are you a traveler?

MN PRINCE

Why yes, I am.

PEDDLER

Oh! Hohoho, I could tell by your face. And why, look at your clothes! Could you be from the Ausrabtion Kingdom?

MN PRINCE

Yes, but please don’t speak of it publicly.

PEDDLER

Ho, of course I won’t, boy. Come along now, let me show you something.

_ The old peddler brings the prince towards the entrance to the Labyrinthis Castle. _

PEDDLER

You might just make it in time for the Midnight Star Ball, yes!

MN PRINCE

The Midnight Star Ball?

PEDDLER

Oh, everyone knows about it, my boy. Well, maybe not you folk on the surface. Surely you might even get to see the king himself, ho!

MN PRINCE

Hm, interesting! Thank you, fair peddler.

PEDDLER

It is my pleasure!

_ The old peddler leaves, and the prince goes to enter the kingdom’s castle, finding himself in a very lavish entry hall, decorated with gold, silver, fancy stones and gems… just about anything precious you would find in an underground mine. It had a rustic, but charming feel to it. Eventually, he was stopped by some guards. _

GUARD 1

Hut!

GUARD 2

Where is your entry pass?

MN PRINCE

Entry pass?

GUARD 1

You need an entry pass to go to the ball.

GUARD 2

Don’t tell me… are you a surfacer?

MN PRINCE

I’m a prince from Ausrabtion.

BOTH GUARDS

Oh my Arceus!

GUARD 1

A p-prince from Ausrabtion! The kingdom hidden in the sand!

GUARD 2

W-we were joking about the entry passes… p-p-please, g-go ahead, sir!

_ The prince chuckles. _

MN PRINCE

Haha, alright. Have a good afternoon, you two.

_ He enters the ballroom. It’s similar to the entry hall, but banquets were set up on either side of the large room. There was a stage, presumably for performing, and even audience chambers that stood towards the top, quite close to the ceiling. It was like a mix of a theatre and a dance room, all in one neat package. _

_ Marveled by this display, the little prince was so dazed, that he finally broke into focus once he was shoved by a tall woman. _

WOMAN

Out of my way!

MN PRINCE

Oof!

_ This woman appeared to be wearing a very elegant, white dress, of which had a railway motif—this same theme prevalent with the design of her tiara. She stomped past the prince, somehow with glass heels that clanked against the tile, and huffed. The Midsummer’s Night Prince assumed this was a princess. A very bratty princess. _

BRAT PRINCESS

Ugh! You stupid nobles and your gawking! Have some sense, why don’t you?

MN PRINCE

Sorry, ma’am.

EMMELINE

That’s Emmeline to you!

MN PRINCE

R-right.

EMMELINE

Ugh!

_ Emmeline storms off, talking to herself about “cursed nobles”, not knowing the boy she just shoved away was actually a prince. Another woman chased after her, calling out with a deep, yet worried tone. She seemed to look identical to her in looks and height alone. _

WORRIED PRINCESS

Emmeline!

MN PRINCE

Is there something the matter, ma’am?

WORRIED PRINCESS

Oh dear, you n-need not busy yourself with my problems.

MN PRINCE

I want to help. It’s the least I can do.

WORRIED PRINCESS

Could you really…?

MN PRINCE

Of course, ma’am.

GENEVIEVE

Goodness! You are a wonderful little boy. My name is Genevieve; I’m one of King Gregor II’s daughters. The woman who so rudely pushed you away is my twin sister, Emmeline.

MN PRINCE

Genevieve… Emmeline… got it.

GENEVIEVE

Oh dear, I’m very sorry, I tend to ramble on and on.

MN PRINCE

It’s okay, I’ve seen worse.

GENEVIEVE

Ah, good, good! Well anyways, we are supposed to get ready for the dance, but… she has been really mad this evening about the nobles.

MN PRINCE

Why the nobles?

GENEVIEVE

Well, someone spilled champagne on her dress, and it got her riled up…

MN PRINCE

But champagne is such a pale, clear beverage. What is there to be mad about?

_ Princess Genevieve sighs. _

GENEVIEVE

That’s just how my sister is… too energetic, and that’s why father— I-I mean, the king is so set on crowning me as the queen once he passes.

MN PRINCE

I’m sure she’ll calm down by then. No need to make such a big fuss about it.

GENEVIEVE

I… ugh, you’re right, little boy. I’m very sorry, I worry myself over such minuscule things, and I forget that’s just how she is!

MN PRINCE

I’m glad I could help.

_ The prince and the princess Genevieve say temporary goodbyes, and go their separate ways. Eventually, it’s time for the dance to start. _

KING GREGOR II

Greeting all, nobles, citizens, and the royal family alike! It’s about time I announce the start of the Midnight Star Ball.

We hold this beautiful event once a year, and I’m happy to celebrate many years to come. However, this year will be much different!

_ People in the dance hall exchange glances and murmurs. _

KING GREGOR II

Tonight, I will be crowning one of my daughters as queen.

_ The audience gasps in awe. They seem interested in the topic. _

KING GREGOR II

Now now, I know it’s all a bit sudden, but once that is all said and done, we will be looking for a suitor after a break. Princes and nobles from around the Unova region, gather around when the time is ripe, for this will be an opportunity you cannot miss!

Now, let the dance begin!

_ With the snap of his finger, an orchestra began to play in the background, and the many attending nobles and citizens of Labyrinthis and beyond found quick partners for a dance. _

_ The Midsummer’s Night Prince did not have a dance partner, for he had gone to this ball without an invitation. He had only narrowly gotten in due to being royalty of another kingdom, which is quite the dramatic entrance. He looked around warily, hoping a pretty girl would ask him to dance, but had no luck. _

MN PRINCE

It’s no use… I’m just going to have to sit on the sidelines…

_ He walked off towards the banquet tables in motion to observe the foods. There were fondues, varying slices of meats and vegetables alike (who knew you could cut carrots into flowers!), and fruit. The little prince was unamused by this, and turned around to see Genevieve looking down at him with an eerie expression. _

MN PRINCE (shocked)

H-holy…!

GENEVIEVE

O-oh! I’m sorry…

MN PRINCE

No, it’s okay. You just caught me off guard, is all.

_ The elder twin princess was embarrassed by this, as a reddish blush was painted across her face. She turned, as if to run away from the humiliation, but the young prince quickly grabbed her hand. _

MN PRINCE

Wait!

GENEVIEVE

Huh?

MN PRINCE

Did you want to dance with me?

_ Genevieve was startled by this. Dance with a child? Surely, it had to be forbidden, if not absolutely disastrous--so she thought. She was not aware that the young prince was unable to find a dance partner, since he had arrived much later. Be still your heart, Genevieve! Just go for it! _

GENEVIEVE

W-well… if you do not mind…

MN PRINCE

I don’t mind! I haven’t been able to find a partner, but I don’t really know how to dance, anyways. You could always just dance with the suitors, right? Because you’re--

GENEVIEVE

N-no. I want to dance with you.

MN PRINCE

Okay, okay!

_ Genevieve quickly grabbed the Midsummer Night’s Prince by the hand, and placed an adjacent hand in motion for him to take it. The height between the two was awkward enough, but neither seemed to mind. Besides, it was just a fancy dance; who cares who dances with whom? It wasn’t like the young prince was going to be a suitor, anyways; he was much less of age than the twin princesses, and didn’t care for romantics to begin with. So, the two danced… and danced… and danced for what seemed like quite a long time, until… _

EMMELINE

Big sister!

GENEVIEVE

Emmeline!

_ Without notice, the younger twin princess shoved her sister forcefully, and grabbed the little prince’s hands. She had stolen the future queen’s first dance partner…  _

GENEVIEVE

Emmeline! Emmeline, excuse me! What are you doing?!

EMMELINE

I’m stealing your suitor, duh! I wanna get married, too!

GENEVIEVE

Why you…! How rude! Have you not noticed this is not a suitor?

EMMELINE

Huh? What d'you mean?

_ She looked down to see the Midsummer’s Night Prince, staring up at her with an uncomfortable expression. Clearly, he was distraught by her actions and attitude just as much as Genevieve was. It seemed to have caused enough commotion that some surrounding attendees stopped to stare. _

EMMELINE

UGH! Stupid kid!

_ Emmeline shoves the young prince with enough force that he falls onto the floor. _

MN PRINCE

Oof! Oww…

GENEVIEVE

L-little boy!

_ Genevieve struggles to help him up; her fancy ballroom dress did little to contribute to flexibility, but she managed. _

MN PRINCE (weakly)

Thank you, ma’am…

GENEVIEVE

Why, I ought to tell the king about this! She won't be marrying anyone until she fixes that attitude!

MN PRINCE

Calm down… don’t you just think she’s jealous of you?

GENEVIEVE (confused)

Jealous? Why would my sister be jealous?

MN PRINCE

Well, you’re going to be crowned queen by your father, and she isn’t, for clear reasons aside from attitude alone.

Maybe she’s jealous because you’re the elder sibling, and the kingdoms of Unova traditionally crown the eldest son, if not daughter, bearing royal blood.

GENEVIEVE

You’re a very knowledgeable boy… I never thought of it that way.

MN PRINCE

Eh, it’s nothing. My dad is always lecturing me on this stuff.

GENEVIEVE

But you’re… why would… ah, forget it… thank you, little boy.

MN PRINCE

It’s no problem. Good luck with the suitors!

GENEVIEVE

As to you, in the future; farewell!

_ Genevieve curtsied, and walked off to have a conversation with the king, and the young prince watched warily, having gone back off to the sidelines. He didn’t tune much into the crowning process, since it had gotten a bit loud with cheering. Usual stuff; he’s seen it happen plenty of times, as leaders retire and are replaced. Such is the world… _

_ However, what stuck out more, was when he saw suitors line up in front of Genevieve in competition to be her spouse. _

EMMELINE

Big sister!

GENEVIEVE

Emmeline, this is the last time I’ve told you to be quiet!

EMMELINE

I want a husband too…

GENEVIEVE

You’ll have your chance later, I promise. Now give me a moment…

PRINCE 1

Crowned Queen Genevieve! I promise I’ll live up to your expectations!

GENEVIEVE

Hmm… Mark III, was it? Oh, I’m awfully sorry, but I just can’t accept something from someone of the like.

PRINCE 1

Gngh! How shameful of me!

_ This prince walks away, embarrassed. _ Genevieve sighs.

GENEVIEVE

There’s just no one good this year, father…

KING GREGOR II (warm, then sternly)

Have patience, my dear. As to you, my little Emmeline, control yourself!

EMMELINE (pouty)

Grrr… big sister, why don’t you just marry that stupid kid?!

GENEVIEVE

Emmeline!

KING GREGOR II

Emmeline, are you absurd?! That’s forbidden in Unova, you fool!

EMMELINE

So what?!

KING GREGOR II

I’ve heard enough from you, young lady!

_ He points toward a door, and the younger princess agitatedly stomps off; presumably having been put in time out as to go to her room. The Midsummer’s Night Prince witnessed these events himself, and died a bit from second hand embarrassment. _

KING GREGOR II

Everyone, I’m deeply sorry for what you’ve had to witness. We will continue looking for a suitor for our to-be queen tomorrow at dusk, so please register if you’d like to apply in the line. For now, please enjoy the rest of the banquet and dance as you see fit.

_ The scene cuts to Princess (or, queen) Genevieve walking with the King down a hallway in the castle. It’s probably to go to their quarters. _

GENEVIEVE

Father…

KING GREGOR II

It’s alright, my dear. Either or, I’d like to hear from both of you about that prince you met.

GENEVIEVE

B-but…

_ The king laughed. _

KING GREGOR II   
Of course, I won’t stoop so low as to give a child the hands of marriage with you. We’ll find a suitor, but I just need to hear the story about this prince from Ausrabtion.

GENEVIEVE

Ausrabtion… the Desert Kingdom on the surface?

KING GREGOR II

Actually, they say the castle there is buried by sand. I personally find it blasphemous a kingdom would be between the surface and underground, but perhaps there may be a suitor there that is of age.

GENEVIEVE

Perhaps… that prince was quite nice to me.

KING GREGOR II

Well, we are on good terms with the royalty there--it comes as no surprise their children are so kind to us.

_ Genevieve giggles and blushes. _

GENEVIEVE

Hee hee… do you think there may be an elder prince there?

KING GREGOR II

There’s no harm in sending them a letter, dear. I’ll make sure one of our council writers gets to it tonight. For now, I’d like you to rest up in your room. I need to have a talk with your sister.

GENEVIEVE

Alright…

_ Genevieve walks off into her room, and shuts the door. Dressing out of her ballroom gown and into some lighter, more flexible pajamas (performed by moving the set off stage left so she can re-dress, and back stage right) She lets out a sigh, as she moves to sit on her bed. _

GENEVIEVE

Oh, what am I going to do? Finding a suitor is more difficult than I thought…

...and watching father go off to see my sister has left me quite distraught…

What of that prince we met this night, and how could he not leave with such a fright?

All these responsibilities that have yet to be sown; I’d have to take care all on my own…

It’s all too strange, too confusing, or bizarre!.. How different me and her are…

I had thought once we were twins for a reason…

But it seems… that I am wrong.

So, what is it that I’m going to do?

Shall I repair our ties, or leave the silence to accrue?

Or perhaps, shall I create bonds anew?

It’s all too strange, too confusing, too bizarre.. How similar me and her are…

We were born twins for a reason…

But it seems… I’m not wise enough to know.

_ As she finishes the song, out at the balcony in her room, she hears a loud scream echo in her ears. _

GENEVIEVE

W-what in the?!

_ Genevieve quickly runs out of her room, not caring to put the dress back on, but grabs a Pokéball just in case and darts off. _

GENEVIEVE

Emmeline? Emmeline!

???

AUUGGGHHH!!!

_ Whoever was screaming, it was definitely not Emmeline. Still, the to-be Queen had a lot to live up to, and the safety of the people comes first in this situation. She searches long and hard for the source of the sound, and eventually finds herself back in the ballroom. There weren’t as many people there anymore, but the few who remained were terrified, clinging to the walls as large electrical shocks burst out from the center. She takes a closer look, and realizes it’s the Midsummer’s Night Prince. _

MN PRINCE (muffled)

Som.. ne… help!

_ An Eelektross was firmly encapsulating the poor boy’s head with its giant mouth. Genevieve winced; it must be hurting him so badly, and so she knew what to do. _

GENEVIEVE

Sawsbuck, give me a hand!

_ She throws her Pokéball, and a large deer Pokémon comes out. It had strong, sturdy antlers and a robust brown body with a white-tipped tail. Lush, forest green leaves decorated the antlers to make them almost look like a tree in the summer. It lets out a cry, which causes the Eelektross to stop letting out the electric discharge—but it was still trapping the poor boy. _

GENEVIEVE

Just where in the world… sister never had an Eelektross… could she really…?

EMMELINE

Yes, really!

_ The younger princess intervened, and stood across from Genevieve and her partner Pokémon. With a snap of a finger, Eelektross stopped, and let go of the young prince. Genevieve ran over quickly before he fell to the ground, and caught him. _

GENEVIEVE

Emmeline, what is the meaning of this?

EMMELINE

I’m tired of being treated like a nobody… I want attention too… I want all of it… all of your undivided attention…

As I will kill that boy!

_ Genevieve gasps. _

GENEVIEVE

No!

I’m not going to let you touch him!

EMMELINE

Oh, come on… you don’t want to have a Pokémon battle, for old time’s sakes?

GENEVIEVE

I’m not going to battle you. I don’t want to put anyone here at risk.

EMMELINE (scoffs)

Tch, fine. Then I’ll kill him.

GENEVIEVE

Emmeline!

EMMELINE (mocking)

Emmeline, Emmeline, EMMELINE! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?! What does anyone even want from me?!

MN PRINCE (weakly)

You need to calm down…

_ The two sisters look at the Midsummer’s Night Prince in awe. _

MN PRINCE

Please don’t fight… you’re going to hurt people…

EMMELINE

Oh yeah? What’re you gonna do if I kill everyone in this room, then?!

MN PRINCE

I’m not going to do anything. And neither is your sister.

_ He looks up at the elder princess who was carrying him. Genevieve looked down with a small smile, then back up to her sister with a stern expression, and tone. _

GENEVIEVE

The boy is right, Emmeline.

Please… just return Eelektross back to it’s Pokeball and we can talk this through...

EMMELINE

Ugh… UGH! I don’t care! Eelektross, use Discharge and end this!

_ The large electric eel Pokémon cried out, as strong bolts of electric energy--genuine electrical shocks--pierced not only the stage, but… to the audience? Wait, there’s something wrong here! This isn’t in the script! Emmet! EMMET! STOP-- _


	12. Past Tense - Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A younger Ingo and Emmet contemplate what they want to do with their lives, now being Pokémon Trainers in the Unova League at the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: the following chapter includes violence, and mentions of child abuse. Read at your own discretion.

When the time was ripe, the young Ingo and Emmet had begun their journey in the Unova League. They were each about 13 years old, then, and of course weren’t as knowledgeable as they are now. Despite that, what kept them together was the strong brotherly bond that they shared. Ingo carefully looked out for Emmet, who was the more disastrous of the two, but there were times when Emmet had to take matters into his own hands, as well. They had managed to beat the first three Gym Leaders--some like those at Striaton were led by different people at the time--and eventually took a break on one of the routes at night.  
The black-shirt clad boy let out a sigh, as he rolled onto the grass; his brother beside him, who was already sprawled on the hill, looking up at the sky.  
“It’s nice out.” The elder twin mumbled quietly, and observed the sparkly stars that were almost as if painted on the dark canvas of the night.  
“Mhm.” Emmet replied blankly, and turned over to his side. His brother was startled by this, and leaned over with a curious expression.  
“Emmet, are you okay?” Ingo asked, nudging his sibling slightly.  
“Yes.” He answered, seemingly angered, “I’m fine.”  
“No you aren’t… come on, look at me.” The child in black winced, and turned Emmet over, who looked up at him with a miserable expression, “Is it… is it the collar?”  
“I hate it.” Emmet grimaced, and tugged at it, obviously knowing it would never come off, but tried regardless, as it delivered a small shock, “Ghh..hahaha… I hate it!”  
“Emmet, don’t!” Ingo cried, “The electric shocks hurt, don’t they?!”  
“It’s fine!” He forced a smile briefly, then continued to pull at the collar, “Mom and Dad won’t give two cruds if I take it off here, I bet!”  
“They’ll know!” The elder brother intervened, and moved his brother’s hands away from the collar, “Mom uses that controller, and… and she probably knows if it delivers or not because if you somehow turn the collar off… won’t she come after us or something?”  
“Ugh…” Emmet pouted, and crossed his arms, “It’s not fair!”  
“Exactly… both options here are bad, but for once, we’re actually away from them for once.” Ingo sighed, and laid back down, “Come on, just give it up for now… relax and look up, see, there’s a really big star over there.”

The younger twin gave up on the collar for the time being, and grumbled to himself as he laid back up on his back next to his brother. He stared up at the night sky, and saw the star that Ingo was talking about--it was bright, big, and blue, almost as if it was close enough that he could take it and put it in a bottle… but of course that’s not how stars work. He learned that the hard way, and that way was being lectured on how stars are actually just tiny flames in space, which was far more boring than how he saw them.  
“Hey, big bro.” Emmet spoke up, placing his hands behind his head as he was laying down.  
“Yeah?” His brother turned his head to look at him.  
“When we’re older… y’think we’ll have any kind of special trainer class?”  
“I don’t know…” Ingo looked back up and whined a bit, “I’m nowhere near as strong as you… if anything it would make me happy if you became the new champion.”  
“Aw, jeez!” The white-clad brother sat up and placed his hands on his thighs as if in denial, “I doubt we’ll beat the Elite Four like this!”  
“Well, that’s what the eight badges are for, right?” Ingo sat up as well, and scooted a bit closer to his brother, “I mean, if not the champion… maybe.. maybe there’s another high ranking trainer class?”  
“I dunno.” Emmet pursed his lips and then stuck his tongue out, “Like heck I wanna be apart of the Elite Four. I want a cooler job!”  
“Cooler?”  
“Yeah!” He nodded and looked at Ingo, “Didn't you hear of the Battle Subway over there in Nimbasa? They’re still building it, but maybe we can get a job there when we’re done!”  
“The Battle Subway…” Ingo thought about it for a moment, “But… what kind of job can we even get there other than a train conductor?”  
“Mmm…” Emmet pouted, clearly distraught, “That’s kinda boring. I want a job there that’s focused on battling.”  
“Maybe we can ask when we get there, right?” The elder twin brought up, “After we beat the Nimbasa City Gym Leader, let’s go there and ask!”  
“But we’re kids!” Emmet cried, flailing his arms into the air, “They aren’t gonna hire kids! You know that!”  
“Emmet, you said they’re still working on it, right?” Ingo turned his head a bit, “So… if we ask them now, they’ll probably give us the job when we’re done with the league.. I think…”  
“Are you saying the Unova League is gonna last five whole years?!”  
“N-no! I just…” The black-clad brother face palmed, “Emmet…”  
“Eh, whatever. We can try.” He shrugged, and laid back down, “Maybe we’ll get a job. I dunno. And maybe a new home!”  
“A new home, huh?” Ingo’s eyes widened, and he smiled a bit, “You know, little brother… maybe…”  
“Huh?”  
“Oh, n-nothing.”  
“Okay… whatever you say.” Emmet let out a loud yawn, and took out his sleeping blanket, “I’m sleepy, so I’m gonna go to bed. Night!”  
“Alright… goodnight.”

Ingo stayed up a bit longer that night, and continued to look up at the stars. In the distance, he could see Nimbasa City, with its colorful and dramatic lights moving around.  
“The Battle Subway…” He spoke quietly to himself, and proceeded to take out his own sleeping bag—color coordinated, of course—and put it next to his brother, “If we can get a new home, then…” The elder twin looked down at his younger brother, who was sound asleep. A lantern was placed between them, so he could see his face, of which was much more relaxed when sleeping. Relieved, Ingo tucked himself into his sleeping bag, and fell fast asleep, unsure of what the future had in store for them.


End file.
